Two Fordham undergraduates will be heading abroad next year, thanks to a U.S. State Department scholarship that provides support for students studying internationally.
Andrra Kryeziu, an honors student in her junior year majoring in International Political Economy, and Zainab Razia, a junior majoring in political science, were announced last week as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
The Gilman is a congressionally funded, merit-based scholarship designed to help American students build skills critical to the nation’s security and prosperity through exposure to other languages and cultures. To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens or nationals and recipients of a Pell Grant—a form of federal financial aid for undergraduates.
Both of the new Gilman Scholars have their study abroad plans set: Kryeziu will study international relations and business in Paris this spring. Razia will head to Granada, Spain, and Morocco in the summer to study migration policy.
Global Opportunities and Networking
Study abroad is on the rise at Fordham: the percentage of students participating has grown to a historic high of 51%, with the University being listed among the top-20 doctoral-granting universities this year for the number of students who traveled abroad for a full semester. The Gilman program helps to raise those numbers, with 11 students receiving the scholarship last year.
Lorna Ronald, PhD, director of the Office of Fellowship Advising, said the Gilman scholarship is noteworthy because recipients have access to a network of fellow Gilman alumni after their trip and receive preferential hiring consideration in the federal government upon graduation.
She noted that students who travel abroad not only absorb lessons from other cultures, but also find themselves thinking more about what it means to be a U.S. citizen.
“When students see themselves as cultural ambassadors and leaders in this way, they start to shift their thinking in terms of what they can do in the future, and that’s really exciting,” she said.
A Dream Realized
Andrra Kryeziu grew up in Kosovo and has called Charlotte, North Carolina, home since 2015. She has returned to Europe many times to visit her extended family, but she has always dreamed of spending time in Paris. She’s eager to learn French and take classes in psychology and marketing alongside classmates with diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
“I’ve heard that study abroad is the place to meet some of your best friends and people who you might not have met any other way,” she said. “I think it would be great to also learn from people whose teaching style may be a bit different.”
A Chance to Grow
For Zainab Razia, a native of Queens who commutes from Valley Stream, New York, to the Lincoln Center campus, studying in Spain and Morocco is a chance to truly stretch her wings. She’s excited to learn about Granada’s blend of Moorish, Christian, Jewish, and Roman influences.
“I feel like studying abroad will let me experience college to the fullest. I want to gain that international perspective,” she said.
“Even when I go back to Pakistan to visit my family, I learn so much because it’s a completely different culture, and people communicate differently. You can learn a lot just by being in a new environment.”
