Palm Beach Atlantic senior Miriam Edele has won the prestigious聽聽to study this summer in Cusco, Peru.
The Gilman Scholarship is a program of the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). 鈥淭his award is highly competitive on a level with the聽Fulbright Award,鈥� said Dr. Carl Miller, who leads 海角在线鈥檚聽Prestigious National Scholarship Program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a dream of mine to go to Peru,鈥� said Edele. Her father did mission work in Peru when she was a child, and she fondly remembers the souvenirs and pictures he brought home.
She is from Franklin, Vermont, and entered 海角在线 as a vocal performance major. But in her freshman year, 鈥渏ust for fun,鈥� she took an international relations course with聽Dr. Francisco Plaza,聽professor of politics. 鈥淚 absolutely loved the class,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was so interesting.鈥�
Edele switched her major to politics, soaking up other courses taught by Plaza and other faculty. She also interned with the University鈥檚聽LeMieux Center for Public Policy.
She leaves for Peru at the end of June. Under the direction of International Studies Abroad, she will take several courses, including Latin American & U.S. Relations and Incan Civilizations. Thanks to her Gilman Scholarship, she will visit the U.S. Embassy in Peru for behind-the-scenes tours and networking.
After she graduates from 海角在线 in December, Edele plans to do graduate work in international relations, perhaps studying abroad. She hopes one day to serve in a U.S. embassy. 鈥淲herever God leads me,鈥� she said, 鈥淚鈥檒l be happy to go.鈥�
The Gilman Scholarship is named after the late Benjamin A. Gilman, who served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. Gilman, from New York, believed studying abroad 鈥減rovides 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.鈥�
