4 Bard Students Win Scholarships to Study Abroad

Four students from Bard College are heading abroad with some serious financial backing after winning Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State. The awards give each student up to $8,000 to cover study abroad costs, opening doors that might otherwise stay closed.

Paola De La Cruz Valenzuela, a political science major from the Bronx, will study in Barcelona next spring. Literature major Lila Jigme Waxman from Vermont is heading to Bhutan to learn Dzongkha, the local language, alongside history and philosophy courses.

Theater major Lo Olivieri from Jacksonville will intern and study performance in Berlin, while dance major Amaya Fernandez Guerrero from Puerto Rico will spend a semester in Madrid. All four are from the Class of 2028 and receive federal Pell Grants, meaning they qualified based on established financial need.

Waxman's story highlights exactly why these scholarships matter. She described the Gilman award as "the biggest relief" in financing the study abroad program she felt most passionate about pursuing.

"Thanks to this scholarship, I feel like risks like this one are worth taking," Waxman said.

The Ripple Effect

These four students represent just a fraction of the 2,100 American undergraduates nationwide who received Gilman Scholarships this spring. Recipients will study and intern in over 100 countries between May 2026 and May 2027, returning home with foreign language skills, global networks, and professional expertise.

The program specifically targets students with high financial need, ensuring that study abroad opportunities aren't reserved for those who can easily afford them. Every Gilman Scholar is a Pell Grant recipient, meaning the program actively works to level the international education playing field.

Established by Congress and managed by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Gilman Scholarship proves that investing in students' global experiences creates ripples far beyond individual campuses. When students from all backgrounds and all 50 states gain international perspective, they bring that understanding back to their communities.

Four more students just got their passport to possibility.