Gilman Scholarship Provides Study-Away Opportunities in Norway, Japan for 2025

More than half of Augustana University students study abroad by the time they graduate, which is almost five times the national average. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provides annual support to students across the country - enabling "American students to gain proficiency in diverse languages and cultures, skills that are critically important to their academic and career development."

Maddox Sievert '26 and Hannah Woody '26 are AU's 2024-25 recipients of the Gilman Scholarship - an award that allows students to study abroad who may not have been able to otherwise. Russell Rivero '26, who was awarded the Gilman Scholarship in March 2024, will travel to Greece in January with the faculty-led course, The Greek Connection: Culture, Health & Wellbeing.

Maddox Sievert '26

Maddox Sievert, of Sioux Falls, is a government & international affairs major. He will spend the spring semester in Japan, studying at Toyo University in Tokyo. Sievert will take introductory Japanese courses on theory and vocabulary, as well as two international politics courses - Peace Studies and Globalization, Culture & Immigration.

"I really want to go to Japan because I have lived in Sioux Falls my whole life and I want to experience something that is totally different from my everyday experience," Sievert said. "Tokyo is the largest city in the world (by population), and the culture is a great departure from what I'm used to. Japanese is important to study because of this decision, so I have been taking it up in my free time."

Along with the Gilman Scholarship, Sievert received a Critical Need Language Award - given to applicants studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity, such as Japanese.

"Receiving this scholarship has been a source of massive relief and joy for me," said Sievert. "It was not even a few hours before receiving the award letter that I was stressing about many newfound bills that had continued to pile up, making my ability to travel abroad seem more and more out of reach. Getting both the Gilman and Critical Language Scholarships has completely lifted the stress of those burdens, and now I feel compelled to flourish and make the most of my academic opportunities abroad, especially learning Japanese."

Sievert said he's excited to learn a new language in its origin country, navigate Japanese public transit and adapt to a unique environment over the course of a few months. He cites Erin Kane, co-director of the International Programs Office (IPO) and study-away advisor, as his greatest help in the process.

"She has been an indispensable resource that I've been so grateful to have on campus, which is a shared sentiment among students who are familiar with the IPO office," said Sievert.

Hannah Woody '26

Hannah Woody is an elementary education major from Sioux Falls. She will spend January Interim (J-Term) with the special education course, Exceptional Children & Youth Practicum in Norway.

The course, led by Associate Professor of Special Education Dr. Kathleen Cook and Assistant Professor of Education Becky Hatch Fiala, will focus on students' observation and direct participation in a Norwegian school or agency that serves children or adolescents with disabilities.

"I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights, so initially, that was what enticed me to look into studying abroad in Norway," Woody said. "As I learn more about how the educational system in Norway is set up, I realize just how aligned our beliefs on children are, which only pushed me further toward studying abroad."

Woody said she's most looking forward to learning through hands-on experience and gaining a new perspective on teaching.

"I am so appreciative of this opportunity and I know that, without it, I'd never be able to study abroad," said Woody. "I am determined to get the most out of this experience and take full advantage of the opportunities I now have in front of me."

Woody credits a number of Augustana staff for helping her throughout the Gilman Scholarship application process.

"Jodi Dehli (former AU HR global compliance & director of development) was the first to encourage me to study abroad. She reassured me several times saying it would all work out, and it has," Woody said. "Erin Kane connected me to the Gilman Scholarship and has been helping me navigate what needs to be done afterward. Becky Hatch Fiala has also been really helpful and supportive of me through this process as well."

In the Fall 2024 cycle, the U.S. Department of State awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to approximately 1,600 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. On average, 65% of Gilman recipients are from rural areas and small towns across the United States, and half are first-generation college or university students.

In order for students to qualify for the Gilman Scholarship Program, they have to be Federal Pell Grant eligible, a U.S. citizen and in the process of applying or accepted to a credit-bearing study-abroad or internship program. Students must apply at gilmanscholarship.org, but Kane and the Augustana Office of Financial Aid are required to sign their application first. The next round of Gilman Scholarship Program applications will open in mid-January and close on Thursday, March 6.

For more information about the Augustana International Programs Office, visit augie.edu/IPO.

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