Study Abroad Students Receive Scholarships, Prepare for Travel in Spring and Summer 2021

ECSU study abroad students attend an online meeting. From the top, left to right, they are Jaida Ellis, Krystal Lopez, Ye Oo, Erica Acheampomaa, Caya Carter, Naja Carter, Omar Richardson, and D’Kota Hinton-Louis.

Although the COVID-19 crisis persists, Elizabeth City State University students who have applied for the Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad are receiving good news. According to Dr. Andre Stevenson, ECSU’s director of the Office of International Programs, three out of 10 students have received the award, and more is expected in the near future.

“This year we had 10 students scheduled to study abroad during May and June 2020 to various countries,” said Dr. Stevenson. “However, due to COVID-19, their travel plans have been delayed until spring 2021 or summer 2021.”

Dr. Stevenson says students Erica Acheampomaa, Jahera Dangerfield, and Omar Richardson, were awarded the scholarship last semester. Other students, he said, have applied or reapplied for the scholarship and should know if they receive the award by August.

While only three of the students have confirmed the receipt of the Gilman Scholarship, Dr. Stevenson says all 10 students have received awards to aid them in their journeys abroad. The students have received a total of $47,000 in awards. 

The students will study abroad for four weeks through three different international studies programs, said Dr. Stevenson. The programs are Council on International Educational Exchange, Expanish, and Bowie State University’s Global Learning Visits Program.

“Each student will receive three course credits upon completion of their four-week program,” said Dr. Stevenson.

Students attending the four-week programs will live in a variety of countries, study at local universities, and immerse themselves in the local culture. It is a multifaceted experience for the students that leaves them with a broader view of the world, says Dr. Stevenson. 

Students and the countries they will visit are:

• Erica Acheampomaa, a junior and social work major, will study in Peru;
• Caya Carter, a sophomore honors student and digital media major, will study in Japan; 
• Naja Cotton, a junior social work major, will study in Morocco; 
• Jahera Dangerfield, a senior honors student majoring in criminal justice, will study in South Africa; 
• Jaida Ellis; a senior honors student majoring in psychology, will study in Argentina; 
• Jesse Ellis, a junior criminal justice major, will study in Argentina; 
• D’Kota Hinton-Louis, a senior social work major, will study in Spain; 
• Krystal Lopez, a junior honors student majoring in English, will study in Japan; 
• Ye Oo, a sophomore majoring in psychology, will study in Taiwan; 
• Omar Richardson, a sophomore aviation science major, will study in Brazil. 

Dr. Stevenson says that the Office of International Programs has worked with each student to complete necessary paperwork that will ensure his or her study abroad opportunity is intact for next year.

“I am excited that each of the students remains enthusiastic about studying abroad,” said Dr. Dr. Stevenson. “They certainly have worked extremely hard to complete applications, prepare essays, and meet deadlines for admissions and scholarship awards. They represent the diversity among ECSU’s student body, as well as diversity regarding their respective countries of choice.”