Kristi O'Neal is one of three Georgia Perimeter College students who were among 500 students selected nationwide to receive a Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship for Study Abroad during the summer of 2011. The trio was selected from more than 2,600 scholarship applicants from across the United States.

This was the first time GPC students have won this award, says Adrienne Langston, former study abroad advisor at GPC’s Center for International Education.

 

O'Neal came to GPC as a nontraditional student, after taking time to raise her family and work. She is a Dunwoody Campus student who studied art history in Spain.

 

O'Neal, who received a $1,500 Gilman scholarship, had a fun side project: she posted a blog about her study abroad experience from the perspective of her stuffed animal called “vampire panda." She presented an art exhibit on Clarkston campus after she returned from her trip.

According to its website, “The Gilman scholarship aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities. The program seeks to assist students from a diverse range and type of public and private institutions from all 50 states.”