Clemson leads the state in Gilman scholarships, enabling study abroad

June 18, 2025June 18, 2025

Nineteen Clemson students — including 16 from South Carolina — are studying abroad this year through nationally competitive Gilman Scholarships.

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program awards nearly 3,000 merit-based scholarships every year for undergraduate students to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. The program received a record number of 17,000 applications nationwide during the 2024-2025 academic year.   

“Clemson students continue to lead the state in Gilman Scholarship awards, earning recognition at nearly twice the national selection rate,” said Robyn Curtis, director of the Office of Major Fellowships. “Supporting students through the application process is a collaborative effort across campus — one that reflects Clemson’s strong commitment to global engagement and the transformative impact of these opportunities on student success.”

Scholarship recipients will embark on study abroad opportunities in Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Clemson’s Gilman Scholarship recipients selected in the 2024-25 academic year are:

This group of scholars will represent the United States overseas and will build the global networks and foreign language skills needed to support U.S. economic and national security interests.

Clemson also has two recipients for the Gilman-McCain Scholarship, which honors the late Arizona Senator John S. McCain’s legacy of public service. The program financially supports children and spouses of active or activated United States military personnel in developing leadership and career readiness skills and a global perspective. The goal is to encourage recipients to pursue careers of service and contribute to preserving the principles and alliances that are critical to an international order based on the rule of law, human rights and democracy.

This year’s awardees are:

Exploring medicine overseas

Both of Clemson’s Gilman-McCain Scholars, along with Gilman Scholars Elizabeth Livesay and Ammar Mohamed, are participating in the College of Science’s faculty-directed Global Experiences in Health Professions study abroad opportunity to Oaxaca, Mexico, this summer. This experiential learning opportunity allows Clemson students to shadow physicians while building skills in cultural competencies, ethics and Spanish language learning.

Mohamed, a biomedical engineering student from Charleston, just completed his first year at Clemson and aspires to attend medical school after graduation. He chose to study abroad in Mexico to gain clinical hours early in his college career while learning how to communicate across languages and cultures, which he believes is vital to a career in medicine in the U.S. “I’m excited to work in real clinics, improve my Spanish and learn directly from local professionals,” said Mohamed. He also shares that this opportunity to study abroad is “a chance to grow in ways I couldn’t inside a classroom.”

Mohamed chose to attend Clemson University because of its strong programs in science, health and engineering, as well as the sense of community he felt when he visited. He knew Clemson would be uniquely able to support his academic and personal growth.

Madelynn McConathy, a fourth-year chemical engineering student from Spartanburg, knew studying abroad was a priority for her college education. However, she has participated in the Center for Career and Professional Development’s Cooperative Education Program (Co-op Program) for three semesters. With this rigorous academic load, she was unsure how to fit a study abroad term into her graduation plan.

With guidance from Clemson’s Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad, McConathy secured a summer study opportunity at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen, where she will earn course credit and gain hands-on experience in a premier pilot plant for process engineering and design.

For McConathy, this opportunity is not only an academic achievement — it’s a personal milestone. “This will be my first time traveling outside the U.S. and I’m so excited to step out of my comfort zone, learn about new cultures and collaborate with international peers to solve real-world engineering problems.”

She encourages Clemson students interested in applying for the Gilman Scholarship to start early and persevere if they are not initially selected.  “Reapplying helped me reflect, grow and ultimately submit a much stronger application. I’m so glad I didn’t give up — it taught me the value of perseverance and self-improvement. I would encourage anyone who is unsure to keep going and give it another shot!”

Students interested in applying for the Gilman International Scholarship and other nationally competitive awards should contact the Office of Major Fellowships at 864-656-9704 or email [email protected].

Information about study abroad options can be found at clemson.edu/studyabroad.