Eight MSU students claim Gilman International Scholarships

Contact: Mary Pollitz

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Eight Mississippi State students are heading abroad this year with the help of the highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, marking the largest group of MSU recipients in university history.  

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman Scholarship provides financial support for undergraduates to study abroad, with the goal of broadening access to global education. Since its inception in 2001, the program has enabled 3,500 students to study in more than 170 countries each year. During this award cycle, MSU honorees were chosen from approximately 17,000 applicants. The scholarship covers costs such as tuition, travel and living expenses, helping to eliminate financial barriers that often limit access to global learning opportunities.

2025 MSU Gilman Scholars by hometown:

BAY SPRINGS—Jeremy Padilla, junior, political science and philosophy

BILOXI—Nicholas Welch, junior, cyber security and operations

BRANDON—Jesus Morales, senior, architecture

BRILLIANT, Alabama—Kaylee Reid, senior, biological sciences

JACKSON—Rayne Lewis, senior, architecture

MADISON—Yuvraj Singh, sophomore, building construction science and business administration

SAUCIER—Apollo Stafford, sophomore, computer engineering

SOUTHAVEN—Shamar Hunt, senior, English

The MSU Office of Study Abroad, part of the university’s International Institute, connects students with a wide range of global learning opportunities—including the Gilman Scholarship, international internships and other academic programs abroad.

“The Gilman Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for qualifying students to be given a chance to help fund their international educational experience,” MSU Study Abroad Coordinator Dominique Brown said. “Studying abroad creates thrilling opportunities for our students, significantly enriching their personal, professional and academic lives both now and in the future.”

More than 70% of Gilman Scholars are chosen from rural communities or small towns, and more than half are first-generation students. MSU recipients will serve as cultural ambassadors, strengthening international understanding and bringing their global perspectives back to the university and their communities.

Established by the U.S. Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The next application cycle will launch in August. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, visit gilmanscholarship.org.  

For more information on MSU Study Abroad and the International Institute, visit www.international.msstate.edu/offices/study-abroad and www.international.msstate.edu/.

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