Gilman recipients sing scholarship’s praises as MC Study Abroad participants
Feb. 21, 2025
Through hard work and help, a travel-abroad dream has just become a reality for Lysandre Lines ‘27, a Maryville College Sociology major.
Lines came to MC from Fraziers Bottom — or, according to him, “absolutely nowhere West Virginia” — after developing an intriguing interest in the social sciences, partnered with a yearning for knowledge about Chile. When he was looking at colleges to attend, Maryville College was not on his radar. Through some personal events, he wound up at a festival in the Maryville College Woods, where he got a glimpse into what the institution is all about. He loved the quaintness of the school and the location in relation to the Woods, and the rest is history … thanks to a unique study abroad scholarship that’s now open to others who may wish to apply.
The Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship is given by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and includes up to $5,000 to students who want to study abroad but do not have the funds to do so. Since 2001, 44,000 scholarships have been awarded to 163,000 applicants, and more than 60% of the recipients come from small towns or rural communities across the United States, according to the Gilman website. Albrianna Jenkins ’18, an education abroad advisor for MC’s Center for Global Engagement, recently held an information session outlining what is needed to apply and offering encouragement to students interested.
“As a Maryville College Scot and Gilman alum myself, I know first-hand of the impact the program has on students’ lives,” Jenkins said. “Not only does the Gilman program support students’ dreams of going abroad and encourage them to make a positive impact both in their abroad communities during their program, and their local communities after their program, but it also provides a strong alumni network and access to resources that increase the trajectory of their futures beyond their undergraduate careers.”
Lines found out about the scholarship only a week before the deadline to apply, but with the help of Jenkins at the International House and Dr. Sylvia Turner, director of the College’s TRIO Student Support Services Program, he was able to complete the three required essays just in time. He’ll depart for Chile in July, where he’ll stay for one year as a Gilman scholar. Over the past decade, the Gilman scholarship has helped make international study a reality for roughly 10 Scots who, like Lines, may not have otherwise had an opportunity to broaden their scholastic horizons.
“It was perfect for my needs … I went to a seminar hosted by the I-House and also saw a webinar by the folks down in Gilman and tried to take it from there. I feel incredibly lucky for all of the help I got on such short notice!” Lines said.
Lines has a strong plan for what he wants to do and study while he is abroad. His desire to learn about the country of Chile led him to not only develop his senior thesis as a “cross-cultural study of Appalachia mining towns and the mining towns of Chile,” but to plan to spend a year studying at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile.
“Roughly about the same time as one of the biggest mining strikes in Appalachian history (The Battle of Blair Mountain), Chile had something similar happen in their old saltpeter mines (Santa María School Massacre),” Lines explained. “So, I started learning all about the saltpeter mines, and it’s so curiously similar to those mines in West Virginia. It jumped out at me so strongly, especially as someone who was a mere stone’s throw from many mines, who’s had family work in the mines and had his life growing up almost warped around the mining system — how could I not look into it?”
The classes that he will take align well with the curriculum at Maryville College, which led Lines to forgo academic stress and lean into the excitement that studying in Chile will provide. The Gilman scholarship was able to give him the irreplaceable opportunity to learn more about a culture he has only been exposed to through media, he added.
“When I was a kid, I thought the world stopped in my backyard–but now I have such a vast variety of friends and knowledge that it’s impossible to ever stop, even at the country level,” Lines said.
The Gilman scholarship application is open until 11:59 p.m. PST Thursday, March 6. Those interested in applying should reach out to Jenkins at studyabroad@maryvillecollege.edu.
Written by Lilli Bryan ’25