Northeastern Students Earn Gilman Scholarships for Study Abroad

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, an award sponsored by the US Department of State, enables U.S. undergraduate students to pursue academic studies abroad, with the goal of better preparing American students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. This year, five Northeastern students earned this honor.

Jordan Brown, DMSB’20, business administration major
Jordan has dreamed of studying abroad since he was a grade-school student. With this scholarship, he studied for a month at the American College of Greece in Athens. In recent years, Greece has faced economic turmoil due to crippling government debt and haphazard borrowing practices. Studying in a country with economic and political volatility gave Jordan—a business student—a unique perspective on his chosen disciplines of management and finance.

Tessa Griffin, S’20, behavioral neuroscience major, marine biology minor
Tessa believes studying abroad is critical to her future as an MD/PhD in global health. After working alongside of an Australian nurse at a Rhode Island hospital, she gained insight into Australia’s healthcare system and wanted to learn more. With the Gilman award, Tessa is studying for four months at the University of Sydney. She will conduct research with a neuroscience professor there—continuing work she has done at Harvard Medical School—and take part in the program MATES, which pairs international and Australian students to foster cultural understanding and enrichment.

Suma Hussien, AMD’18, design major
As the daughter of a Japanese mother and an Egyptian father, Suma says she was exposed, early on, to “the complexities of race, ethnicity, and religion.” This multicultural upbringing made her especially curious about and compassionate toward diverse people and cultures. With the Gilman scholarship, Suma took part in a faculty-led journalism program in Greece. Mentored by award-winning professional journalists, Suma used her multimedia skills to produce reports chronicling the plight of Syrian refugees in Greek refugee camps.

Michele Kinama, DMSB’18, international business and finance majors, international affairs and Russian minors
As a girl, Michele longed to see the world outside of her small Illinois hometown. This led her to enroll in Northeastern’s international business program, which requires students to complete a year of expatriate study. Michele has already spent time in Russia studying emerging markets and in Israel and Palestine, studying literature and conflict. With the Gilman scholarship, she is studying for a semester at Lancaster University in England and will complete a co-op in London. These opportunities will bring her closer to achieving her career goal of leading a management consulting firm in Europe.  

Jessica Lynch-Foust, SSH’20, international affairs and human services majors, global social entrepreneurship minor
Following the 2015 death of her grandfather, Patrick, Jessica wanted to learn more about her family’s Irish ancestry. She briefly visited Ireland in 2016, while on a month-long study abroad trip to London, but wanted more time in the country. With the Gilman award, Jessica spent a semester studying Irish history and culture and other subjects at Trinity College, near Dublin. The experience expanded her worldview and solidified her long-term goal to earn a dual master’s degree in sustainable international development and business/nonprofit management.