CHESTERTOWN, MD—Koppany Jordan, a rising junior at Washington College from Northampton, Pennsylvania, has been selected to receive a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Jordan, a double major in economics and political science with a minor in religion, will study at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco for the 2014/15 academic year. In addition to courses in his major and minor areas, he will take language courses in Moroccan Arabic.  

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply to their study-abroad program costs. The program aims to diversify the students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Students who receive a federal Pell Grant and plan to participate in a study abroad or international internship for academic credit that is at least 4-weeks in length are eligible to apply. 

The Gilman scholarship program, which is administered by the Institute of International Education in Houston, Texas, was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. It is named in honor of New York congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, who served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee before retiring in 2002. “Living and learning in the vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience,” the retired Congressman commented about the value of studying abroad. “It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator, in the international community.”