Four Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad
Paola De La Cruz Valenzuela ’28, Lo Olivieri ’28, Amaya Fernandez Guerrero ’28, and Lila Jigme Waxman ’28.
Four Bard College students have been awarded highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if also a recipient of the Gilman Critical Need Language Award, to apply toward their study abroad or internship program costs.
Bard political science major Paola De La Cruz Valenzuela ’28, of the Bronx, New York, has also been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study at the Reed Barcelona Universities Program, for the spring 2027 semester. “I feel deeply honored to have been awarded the Gilman Scholarship and to join the Gilman community,” Valenzuela said. “I am truly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the ways it will support my academic experience abroad.”
Bard literature major Lila Jigme Waxman ’28, from Vershire, Vermont, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study at Wheaton in Bhutan for the fall 2026 semester. Waxman will be studying both the Bhutanese language, Dzongkha, and history, in addition to taking courses in philosophy. “As a student on a large scholarship at Bard who nonetheless wants not to be held back from experiences by lack of money, this support from the Gilman Foundation has been the biggest relief in the gamble that I took trying to finance the study abroad program I was most passionate about, but did not have a tuition exchange option,” said Waxman. “Thanks to this scholarship, I feel like risks like this one are worth taking.”
Bard theater and performance major Lo Olivieri ’28, from Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to attend Bard College Berlin, for the fall 2027 semester. Olivieri will be interning and will study Theater and Performance while in Germany. “Winning a Gilman feels bittersweet right now as education programs are being ruthlessly cut,” said Olivieri. “Programs like the Gilman Scholarship are vital to increasing access to quality education and I'm proud to make a case to the US Department of State about why they should invest in the education of a Theater major studying abroad in Berlin. I'm incredibly grateful and I hope we see the restoration of essential programs for education in the coming years.”
Bard College dance major Amaya Fernandez Guerrero ’28, from Puerto Rico, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to attend the Reed Madrid Universities Program for the fall 2026 semester. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the experiences ahead,” Guerrero said.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program has awarded scholarships to 2,100 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands in spring 2026 to study and intern abroad between May 2026 and May 2027. All scholarship recipients are US undergraduate students with established high financial need as federal Pell Grant recipients. This year’s cohort of Gilman Scholars will represent the United States in over 100 countries, returning to communities across the US with the global networks, foreign language skills, and professional expertise.
Established by the U.S. Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. The next application cycle will launch in August 2026. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, visit gilmanscholarship.org.
Post Date: 05-20-2026
Bard political science major Paola De La Cruz Valenzuela ’28, of the Bronx, New York, has also been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study at the Reed Barcelona Universities Program, for the spring 2027 semester. “I feel deeply honored to have been awarded the Gilman Scholarship and to join the Gilman community,” Valenzuela said. “I am truly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the ways it will support my academic experience abroad.”
Bard literature major Lila Jigme Waxman ’28, from Vershire, Vermont, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study at Wheaton in Bhutan for the fall 2026 semester. Waxman will be studying both the Bhutanese language, Dzongkha, and history, in addition to taking courses in philosophy. “As a student on a large scholarship at Bard who nonetheless wants not to be held back from experiences by lack of money, this support from the Gilman Foundation has been the biggest relief in the gamble that I took trying to finance the study abroad program I was most passionate about, but did not have a tuition exchange option,” said Waxman. “Thanks to this scholarship, I feel like risks like this one are worth taking.”
Bard theater and performance major Lo Olivieri ’28, from Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to attend Bard College Berlin, for the fall 2027 semester. Olivieri will be interning and will study Theater and Performance while in Germany. “Winning a Gilman feels bittersweet right now as education programs are being ruthlessly cut,” said Olivieri. “Programs like the Gilman Scholarship are vital to increasing access to quality education and I'm proud to make a case to the US Department of State about why they should invest in the education of a Theater major studying abroad in Berlin. I'm incredibly grateful and I hope we see the restoration of essential programs for education in the coming years.”
Bard College dance major Amaya Fernandez Guerrero ’28, from Puerto Rico, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to attend the Reed Madrid Universities Program for the fall 2026 semester. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the experiences ahead,” Guerrero said.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program has awarded scholarships to 2,100 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands in spring 2026 to study and intern abroad between May 2026 and May 2027. All scholarship recipients are US undergraduate students with established high financial need as federal Pell Grant recipients. This year’s cohort of Gilman Scholars will represent the United States in over 100 countries, returning to communities across the US with the global networks, foreign language skills, and professional expertise.
Established by the U.S. Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. The next application cycle will launch in August 2026. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, visit gilmanscholarship.org.
Post Date: 05-20-2026