Kate Barnwell, Cecilia Callozzo, Taylor Mccullough and Daisy Perez Perez are among five University of South Carolina students named Gilman Scholars following the fall 2022 application cycle. The scholarship provides $5,000 to students with demonstrated financial need and supports them as they study abroad in a location of their choice.

Why it matters: Our Gilman Scholars get the unique opportunity to connect their academic and intellectual interests in a way that is often not possible due to financial restrictions. This year’s scholars will get the chance to be at the forefront of an innovative field of study, ranging from drone imagery to the governing of societies.

Who they are:

• Kate Barnwell is a geography student interested in creating, managing and analyzing maps for ecology. She is studying abroad in Scotland, capturing drone imagery and videography of the Scottish highland and surrounding areas.
• Cecilia Callozzo is a Carolina Scholar with a double major in Russian and global studies. Callozzo fell in love with Kyrgyzstan after meeting an exchange student from the country and will now be studying there to improve her knowledge of language and culture.
• Taylor Mccullough is a first-generation student majoring in music and music performance. She is studying in Seoul, South Korea to combine her interests in the entertainment industry and Korean culture and language. Her advice to applicants is to “never underestimate the power of a new perspective.”
• Daisy Perez Perez is a first-generation honors student and political science major who hopes to become a lawyer and start her own firm in the future. She will use her scholarship to take a Maymester trip to England and Scotland, where she will study law and how societies govern themselves. Perez is excited not only for the opportunity to travel due to the Gilman scholarship but for the additional advice and support that the program provides as she studies abroad.

Lennaja Wright is an early childhood education student and Capstone Scholar selected as an alternate Gilman Scholar. If additional funds are available, Wright will study in Reggio Emilia, Italy to further her perspective on education and culture in another country.

Students interested in learning more about the Gilman Scholarship or other opportunities to fund study abroad trips can contact National Fellowships & Scholar Programs.