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CAMPUS BOUNDARIES SCHOLARSHIPS BEYOND
With help from a team of advisers, competitive and prestigious non-Stetson awards make it possible for students to live and learn in foreign lands.
BY PATRICIA LETAKIS
Shown above: Student Rosa Vega spent a month in Austria.
Imagine you’re in the Netherlands sitting in the International Criminal Court and watching a real trial. Or you’re in Germany, feeling chills down your spine as you trace footsteps of those who passed through Dachau Nazi concentration camp, never to return.
On a lighter note, you could be at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, discovering the ancient winemaking culture of Georgia and sampling the country’s underappreciated vino. And there’s even the possibility of immersing yourself into a non-Western culture with study in countries like Taiwan, where tensions with its neighbor are unpredictable.
Sure, many students hope to study abroad and experience enlightening adventures that help pave their career paths. And, indeed, such experiences are aligned with Stetson’s Hatter Ready initiative to advance preparation for eventual graduate programs and careers.
Yet, as Michael Eskenazi, PhD, associate professor of Psychology and Stetson’s adviser for external scholarships and fellowships, points out, “Studying abroad is one of the most important things a student can do during college, but it’s also one of the most difficult to do because it’s so expensive.”
Overseeing 40 scholarships and fellowships and participating in faculty-led study abroad programs, Eskenazi knows both sides of the equation. And he offers help, specifically in this case by encouraging students to pursue distinguished but lesser-known non-Stetson awards such as the Gilman Scholarships, Boren Scholarship, Taiwan Scholarships and Fund for Education Abroad.
Gilman Scholarship
Tristyn Rampersad, a Philosophy major who graduates in May, spent two weeks last summer in the Netherlands and Belgium with the aid of a Gilman Scholarship, which funds study abroad for students receiving Pell Grants, up to $5,000.
Rampersad recalls how Eskenazi came to one of his Honors classes to do a presentation about the various scholarships. “Before that, I didn’t really know anything about Gilman, but he definitely led me to apply,” says Rampersad, who then reached out to the WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning office. There, Paula Hentz, senior international officer and director of Global Initiatives, and Melanie Smith, EdD, assistant director of International Learning Programs, provided him with what he describes as “tricks and tips” of the typically challenging application process.
Such insight included “exactly how I should be writing my essays and the various levels of promises I should make to Gilman because they require you to promise that you are going to do a communityservice project,” Rampersad describes. He opted to create a social media campaign for Gilman as his project.
Smith spoke with Rampersad at length about the need to tell his story. “I have had the opportunity to evaluate Gilman Scholarship applicants in the past, and it’s the essays, specifically their stories, that capture the heart of the judges panel,” Smith says. “… I tell students, ‘Give people a chance to want to give you money.’”
During Rampersad’s faculty-led trip to Europe with Eskenazi, the group listened to lectures and visited historic places, including the Amersfoort concentration camp. “The whole theme of the study abroad trip was the progression of psychology, especially looking at Europe. And just being there at the location of a concentration camp, knowing the horrors that happened there, was incredibly impactful,” Rampersad says.
The group’s visit to the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels gave students the opportunity to not only see where the EU meets, but also to attend lectures given by people who work there. Rampersad believes the experience was both valuable and an opportunity to learn how the international organization of European countries functions, as well as its history.
A visit to the International Criminal Court in Netherlands also was part of the program. Students were able to witness someone on trial for human rights violations, as they studied the development of ethics and history of psychology. “That makes it a lot more real, when you are there watching a trial,” comments Eskenazi.
Rosa Vega, an Entrepreneurship and Professional Sales major in her third year, was another Stetson student awarded the Gilman Scholarship. She traveled to Innsbruck, Austria, in summer 2024, spending a month at the University of Innsbruck. Vega opted for the traditional classroom study and took two courses, Advanced Management/Leadership and Principles of Entrepreneurship, where she also taught two short sessions.
In addition, she had the chance to visit a business incubator in Innsbruck, which aligned with her career goals as an entrepreneur. “It was fascinating to see how startups in Austria operate, the resources available to them, and the networks that support innovation,” Vega says. “This experience gave me new ideas for my own entrepreneurial journey and inspired me to think about ways to implement similar models back home.”
Included in her faculty-led study abroad program was a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial outside of Munich. “This visit deeply impacted me and added a meaningful layer to my understanding of global history and its relevance today,” she continues.
Further, Rampersad and Vega agree that the most lasting takeaway from receiving the scholarship isn’t a travel experience. It’s the Gilman community — a massive network of alumni who share a connection and support one another as they launch their careers.
Boren Scholarship
Considered a very prestigious scholarship, as well as one of the most competitive and difficult to receive, the Boren Scholarship focuses on learning languages that are critical to national security. Recipients go abroad on their own as opposed to a faculty-led study program. They are required to work at least one year for the government, which is often viewed as a bonus or guaranteed job. Thus, it’s an attractive scholarship for students who know they definitely want to work for the government.
As such, Eskenazi points out that to win this scholarship, “It would be really helpful to show that you have a clear pathway to foreign service or national security.”
Heaven Lee Sullivan graduated from Stetson in spring 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies and now is working on a master’s at Georgetown University. She has a keen interest in cybersecurity, which she also studied at Stetson. Before becoming a recipient of the Boren Scholarship, she spent an entire month researching countries and study abroad programs.
“I wanted to study a critical language, so my options were Chinese, Arabic or Russian. And of those three, I thought Russian was the most appealing, as it is slightly easier to learn but still an incredibly difficult language,” says Sullivan, who received $25,000 toward her study abroad program.
Sullivan spent eight months in Georgia in Eastern Europe and West Asia. “That’s the thing about the Boren Scholarship; it traditionally funds extended periods of time abroad,” she cites. “So, students do not go on a Boren Scholarship for one semester. They usually do two semesters or a semester and a summer, which is what I did.”
She received 20 hours of Russian language instruction a week. Also, there were elective classes with lecturers from local universities, cultural programming, and field trips to neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The diversity of the region captivated her. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, she studied the region from linguistic, historical, political and anthropological viewpoints.
“It includes broadly about 15-20 countries, most of which used to be part of the Soviet Union. … The region is so diverse that you’ll really never get bored,” she says.
Among her most memorable experiences were trips to the wine region of Kakheti, where she learned about the country’s 8,000-year-old tradition of winemaking, tasted the wines, mingled with Georgians and simply had fun. Sullivan joked that upon returning home, the experiences even motivated her to work for a time at a local wine bar.
The graduate student now considers herself professionally fluent in Russian and credits her studies abroad with helping her figure out what she wants to do with her life: working for the government in a job that’s at the intersection of cybersecurity and culture.
“This type of scholarship is an unparalleled opportunity. It sets you apart from the crowd,” Sullivan says, adding she was accepted into all the top universities nationwide for her graduate-school program.
Cole Caven expects to graduate from Stetson in May 2026 with Honor degrees in International Studies, and Russian, East European and Eurasion Studies. He anticipates pursuing a Juris Doctorate and a master’s in International Affairs to further his understanding of international law and security — all with the goal of joining the federal government to work on Eurasian policy and transatlantic relations. With such a clear-cut plan, he was an ideal candidate for the Boren Scholarship.
“I applied [for the scholarship] with the intent of becoming fluent in Russian by graduation and spending more time in the Eurasian region, being the best means to understand it,” he comments. “… As someone who aspires to work in foreign policy, it is an immense aid both in improving my linguistic skill set and launching my career.”
Caven believes his scholarship win would not have been possible without the letters of recommendation from his professors at Stetson, along with the many hours spent revising his essay with Mayhill Fowler, PhD, associate professor of History.
Currently, Caven is in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, through July with SRAS, an organization that began as the School of Russian and Asian Studies and is now known simply as SRAS. His program, Tbilisi: Identity and Conflict in the Caucasus, includes Russian classes where no English is spoken, as well as classes about regional security/politics in the region and lectures by local policymakers.
Taiwan Scholarships
Leander Seah, PhD, associate professor and chair, Department of History, is extremely proud of the Taiwan Scholarships recipients he has advised. Zoe Weaver-Lee ’19, for example, received the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship in 2019 and the Ministry of Education Scholarship in 2021. She went on to work in Washington, D.C., at the Global Taiwan Institute and later the East-West Center in Washington.
“It is a common experience that anyone who lives, works or studies in Taiwan becomes inextricably linked with the island for the rest of their career,” Weaver-Lee says. “There is no substitute for an immersive language study, especially when it comes to Mandarin. The scholarships to Taiwan make it easy to not only get good at the language, but put you in a class of people internationally recognized for language abilities."
Also, Mary Brandt ’23 currently is a student in the International Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at the National Chengchi University in Taipei.
Both recipients, in Seah’s opinion, are on track for successful careers in national security issues and American foreign policy.
Comments Brandt: “The experiences have granted me the opportunity to witness the complex relationships between Taiwan, China and the U.S. from the Taiwanese perspective, all while learning from experts in my related interests and connecting with the Taiwanese people and their culture.”
“I think I have joked with them that it’s possible they could serve in the White House one day and/or on the National Security Council,” Seah says.
Seah, founding director of the Asian Studies Program and Stetson’s senior China and East Asia specialist, cannot emphasize enough how important it is for Americans to understand
Asian cultures and societies, as well as to learn more about the relationship between the United States and Taiwan. “In my view,” he asserts, “China and the Taiwan issue are possibly America’s top national security issue.”
Not surprisingly, Seah is a strong advocate for students who, despite intense competition, apply for the Ministry of Education, Huayu Enrichment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarships. The funding awards vary, but each includes a maximum monthly living allowance of approximately $1,000.
“Stetson students compete with undergraduates at many of the best colleges and universities, including Ivy League schools, elite liberal arts colleges such as Williams and Amherst, and other non-American top universities like Oxford and Cambridge,” he says with pride.
Seah was born and raised in Singapore and has conducted research in several Asian countries, including Taiwan. Applicants, whom he works with personally, must have a strong academic track record and take his courses on SinoAmerican relations. His insight into the region, along with his international standing as a renowned China scholar and fondness for Taiwan, make him a strong mentor for any student serious about a career related to the Asia-Pacific region. And the Taiwan Scholarships, he believes, can help open doors to careers in international trade, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the United Nations, American politics and more.
“Nothing quite beats understanding a non-Western culture by studying it in the country itself because of complete cultural immersion in the classroom and even beyond in daily life,” Seah concludes.
Fund For Education Abroad
Marvel Olson, a junior majoring in Aquatic and Marine Biology (with a Spanish minor), always had a passion for travel and an eagerness to understand cultures and people different from her. She found such experiences through Semester at Sea, the Fund for Education Abroad and the Institute for Shipboard Education. The nonprofit Fund for Education Abroad provides scholarships to American college students to study abroad, while the Institute for Shipboard Education operates the Semester at Sea program.
“I wanted to reach these goals while also gaining an education and a deeper understanding of the topics I am learning, which is why I chose to study abroad,” Olson says.
For most of the fall 2024 semester, Sept. 5-Jan. 1, she traveled to the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand. Also, after the study abroad ended, she was able to visit Japan.
Semester at Sea’s passenger ship brings together college students with learners at all stages of life to study with worldrenowned professors in a shipboard classroom setting and in countries around the globe. The students earn a full semester’s worth of course credit.
From among more than 2,700 applications for the fall semester, Olson was one of 96 scholarship recipients. Of the 450 students on the trip, she was the only one from Stetson. And she gives the WORLD office a big assist, citing that Melanie Smith was “there for me every step of the way and made sure to help guide me through any questions or issues I had.”
Ultimately, new friendships were gained, along with a greater understanding of varying perspectives and “unbelievable experiences,” which included seeing the Taj Mahal and visiting a village in Ghana that was entirely built on stilts.
“My study abroad was very close-knit and created a small community in itself, allowing us to become very close and form lifetime friendships. On top of this, in each country I visited, I was able to see different ways of life, different perspectives and different traditions. These countries also allowed me adventure and experiences I will always remember,” says Olson, a member of Hatters Down Under, Stetson’s scuba diving and snorkeling club.
As for her future, Olson feels enriched with more precise direction.
For most of the fall 2024 semester, Marvel Olson traveled to the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand.
“This trip helped me better understand what I want to do in my future, specifically because of a class I took on coral reefs and fieldwork I did in Mauritius [an island country in the Indian Ocean],” she says. “This allowed me to realize my passion for conservation, and it is something I want to pursue with my Aquatic and Marine Biology degree. After graduating, I plan on continuing to grad school in Australia, as I want to continue to travel and gain new experiences.”
Olson even shaved her head. As is tradition, sailors shave their heads when they cross the equator, a part of celebrating Neptune Day. Calling the moment “cool,” Olson was among 50 students who did the same.
Of course, none of this happens by accident. There is fun, for sure, but also plenty of study that requires work, much of it before the journeys begin. So, regardless of scholarship type for study abroad, Eskenazi offers this application advice to students: Start early — during the first or second year at Stetson to build your case as a worthy candidate.
His words: “It’s all about building a narrative for yourself — who are you, what experiences do you have, and why this scholarship and study abroad opportunity are a good fit for you.”
