By Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2025) — Several University of Kentucky students were awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support their education abroad goals.

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, gaining skills critical to the United States’ national security and economic competitiveness. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award — ranging from $100 to $5,000 — to defray the cost of tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

The congressionally funded scholarship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education.

The UK recipients of the Gilman Scholarship include:

• Joshua Abebe, a sophomore finance major from Lexington, Kentucky, to study in England.
• Gray Howard, a junior management and marketing major from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to study in Spain.
• Ayusma Karki, a sophomore architecture major from Lexington, Kentucky, to study in Vietnam, Taiwan and Cambodia.
• Madison Mitchell, a senior premedicine neuroscience major from Yeaddiss, Kentucky, to study in the Netherlands.
• Emily Strahl, a senior architecture major from Madisonville, Kentucky, to study in Denmar.
• Sophia Wielawski, a senior predental, chemistry and Russian major and Lewis Honors College student from Fountain Run, Kentucky, to study in Poland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Estonia.
• John Luke Wood, a junior Russian major and Lewis Honors College student from Nicholasville, Kentucky, to study in Armenia.

Growing up in Appalachia, Madison Mitchell said making a trip to Lexington was always a big deal for her family. Being awarded the Gilman Scholarship is similarly broadening for her.

“Having the ability to have experiences that my family has never gotten to has really inspired me in my career to push on no matter how hard it has been,” she said.

Mitchell has done research on sepsis with Hiroshi Saito, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine, is secretary of End Overdose at UK and treasurer of the Appalachian Health Initiative. For her Gilman Scholarship experience, she will study global health and diseases in Amsterdam, examining how the Netherlands treats and diagnoses infectious diseases and comparing that to treatment and diagnosis in the United States.

She looks forward to experiencing cultural differences in her education abroad, a desire punctuated by the experiences she has had at UK that were different from where she grew up.

“The more time I spent in Lexington I realized that I have an entire culture of my own,” she said. “Appalachia is unique, and I understand the different ideas and ways of life because I live it every day. I love being able to realize that we all may be humans, but we are so vastly different.”

Sophia Wielawski said she looks forward to enriching her understanding of global healthcare, which will help her in her future as a dentist. Her research will also prepare her for her education abroad in Central and Eastern Europe.

“I am currently conducting research on the history of dental care in the Soviet era,” Wielawski said. “During my study abroad, I will be interviewing former patients and dentists about their experiences with Soviet dentistry.”

Among the professors who have been most influential in her early academic career are Anna Voskresensky; Edward Lee, Ph.D.; Erin Koch, Ph.D.; and Molly Blasing, Ph.D.

“I look forward to immersing myself in the local culture and gaining a deeper understanding of health care perspectives outside of the U.S.,” Wielawski said.

John Wood will study Russian at Yerevan State University in Armenia.

“Not only is this a great opportunity to learn Russian language, but also to learn about the realities of life and culture in a former Soviet republic,” he said.

At UK, Wood has participated in the Step Up program, working alongside other volunteers to help local refugee and immigrant students complete their coursework and maintain their grades. Wood said Francis Musoni, Ph.D., has been influential in his own academic pursuits, having run the Step Up program and also writing a letter of recommendation for Wood to join Lewis Honors College. He also credits Allison Peoples of UK’s International Center with advising him on his education abroad.

During his time in Armenia, Wood said he will look forward to experiencing life in another nation.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to go out of the country like this,” he said. “I’m so excited to try new foods, meet new people and find new and interesting things.”