Lakemoor resident awarded Gilman study abroad scholarship

Jigar Gohel, a resident of Lakemoor, Illinois, is one of four University of Illinois at Chicago students that have been awarded U.S. State Department Benjamin A. Gilman scholarships to study abroad this fall.

Gohel, a sophomore in civil engineering, will study in London.

The UIC recipients are among over 850 American undergraduate students from more than 320 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected for the honor.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program, sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, aims to diversify the group of students who study abroad and their destinations. To be eligible for the award, students must demonstrate financial need by receiving a federal Pell Grant for their studies.

Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward their study abroad program costs. Since 2006, UIC students have won more than 145 Gilman scholarships totaling approximately $585,000.

The Gilman program is funded through the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000 and is administered by the Institute of International Education's Southern Regional Center in Houston. The program honors former U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, who was chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee.