{"id":135817,"date":"2026-01-29T02:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T02:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/135817\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T02:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T02:40:21","slug":"four-eckerd-college-students-travel-the-world-with-a-boost-from-the-gilman-international-scholarship-program-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/135817\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Eckerd College students travel the world with a boost from the Gilman International Scholarship Program – News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tessie Sacchetti is a junior marine science<\/a> student who is minoring in animal studies<\/a> and is from Pipersville, Pennsylvania. She was also one of a dozen Eckerd students who visited Costa Rica as part of a course titled Sea Turtle Conservation and Rehab, led by Tim Bransford, Ph.D.<\/a>, assistant professor of animal studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be working with the Latin American Sea Turtle Association<\/a>,\u201d Tessie explained. \u201cThis work ties into a lot of disciplines I\u2019m interested in. I want to work in conservation education at a zoo, an aquarium, or a rehabilitation center in the future, and this research connects to my current work with herptiles. I also like to have multiple experiences outside of biological ones on these trips, such as focusing on the culture and people of Costa Rica, something I wouldn\u2019t be in touch with normally back at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tim Kusterbeck, a junior biology<\/a> and environmental studies<\/a> student from Huntington, New York. won\u2019t be traveling to Peru until August, when he\u2019ll be part of an Autumn Term cohort led by Nathan Andersen, Ph.D.<\/a>, professor of philosophy, and Jared Stark, Ph.D<\/a>., professor of literature and comparative literature. The course title is Trekking Peru: Food, Culture, and Nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be traveling to three locations within the country, including the capital, Lima, and we\u2019ll be learning about the culture and history of Peru,\u201d Tim says. \u201cWhen I was 7 or 8 I was watching historical documentaries about the Inca empire, and I was fascinated by Machu Picchu, the famous Lost City. Now I\u2019ll have the chance to see this place in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose Eckerd College for all the opportunities to study abroad,\u201d he adds. \u201cI had never been out of the country prior to coming to Eckerd, but I have since traveled to Chile on my first Winter Term abroad last year. I really believe exploring foreign countries can enrich you as a person. Eckerd is very unique in that aspect. It\u2019s very normal to do a study abroad program. And there are many ways to make it affordable, too. It\u2019s something I\u2019m very thankful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a United States Cultural Exchange Program<\/a>, is named after the late congressman Benjamin Gilman<\/a>, who served in the House of Representatives from 1973 to 2003 and was active in foreign affairs issues. The program is administered by the United States Department of State<\/a> and supported by the Institute of International Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Scholarships are intended for U.S. undergraduates from diverse backgrounds and students going to nontraditional study abroad destinations. Gilman Scholarships provide grants for students to pursue overseas study for college credit. To be eligible, applicants must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the time of application.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very proud of these students for earning Gilman Scholarships,\u201d says Kat Robinson, Ph.D.<\/a>, associate dean of faculty for student success. \u201cThe Gilman Scholarship is a nationally competitive award and provides critical support for students who receive the Pell Grant, making global learning opportunities more accessible. These scholarships are truly transformative, allowing students to pursue international experiences that might otherwise be out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strength of our students combined with our Winter Term offerings truly created an amazing opportunity for these four students to earn financial support while developing skills, thoughts, and networks that will take them and their Eckerd education around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the second year in a row, Eckerd College recently ranked first in the nation in short-term study abroad<\/a> among baccalaureate institutions, according to the 2025 Open Doors Report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tessie Sacchetti is a junior marine science student who is minoring in animal studies and is from Pipersville,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[66489,66490,38267,4392,66491,9621,202,204,203,199,201,200,22793],"class_list":["post-135817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-antarctica","tag-benjamin-a-gilman-scholarships","tag-costa-rica","tag-mexico","tag-pell-grants","tag-peru","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-study-abroad"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}