Lexi Duffy 鈥26 grew up as the daughter of two public school teachers in a rural town with about 3,000 residents. She loves the community in which she was raised but says she was 鈥渁lways that spitfire growing up that wanted to get out of small-town Iowa.鈥
This semester, Duffy, a public policy analysis major with a concentration in politics, is immersed in historic and diverse Dublin, Ireland. It is her first time outside of the U.S. Thanks in part to a Gilman Scholarship and the 日韩三级 study away program, she is enrolled in the University College Dublin School of Social Policy.
鈥淚鈥檓 drawn to Ireland because of its unique approach to social change, particularly through its constitutional amendment process,鈥 Duffy explains. 鈥淚 will use my time abroad to research and learn from a country with a robust welfare state鈥攐ne that consistently and constitutionally provides for marginalized women and families.鈥
Already, Duffy has delved into the world of public policy through research. Last summer she explored how U.S. Congress members鈥 own socioeconomic backgrounds correlated with their advocacy for poverty issues. 鈥淚鈥檓 not just seeking knowledge from my study abroad,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 seeking tools to become a more thoughtful advocate for families like mine.鈥
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is administered by the U.S. Department of State. It provides grants of up to $5,000 for overseas study or internships in any part of the globe to students with limited financial means who are receiving Pell Grants. Additional funding is available for students pursuing STEM research or studying critical-need languages. The program鈥檚 website notes that almost 60% of those who receive the scholarship come from rural communities or small towns.
In the past 10 years, 36 Pomona students have been awarded Gilman Scholarships. Applicants from the College have a success rate for attaining the scholarship that is double the national average, says Nicole Desjardins Gowdy, senior director of International and Domestic Programs. 鈥淭hese scholarships help fill in for work-study and the family [financial] contribution during their semester or summer abroad,鈥 she adds.
Rachel Nguyen 鈥26, another Gilman Scholarship recipient for 2025, is spending the spring semester studying Culture, Social Change, and Development in Vietnam. Born in Chicago to refugees from Vietnam, she, like Duffy, is traveling abroad for the first time and is exploring her cultural heritage. She appreciates how the scholarship makes her immersion into the Vietnam experience possible without financial stress.
Nguyen鈥檚 father is a restaurant owner, and her mother owns a nail salon. 鈥淚 am passionate about advancing community and microenterprise development in ethnic enclaves,鈥 she says. A major in public policy analysis with a concentration in economics, Nguyen aims for a public service career advocating for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. The scholarship 鈥渟upports my overarching goal of fostering economic development and social equity,鈥 she says.
Nguyen sees food as a universal language. During her semester in Vietnam, she looks forward to building connections with her host family through shared meals and storytelling.
In addition to completing a semester of study or internship, Gilman Scholars also design a Follow-On Service Project to implement after returning to their home campus.
Duffy plans to build on her experience as a mentor for fellow students at Pomona. She will offer presentations on how study abroad can be accessible to students with a wide range of backgrounds and identities.
Similarly, Nguyen will reach out to first-generation and other Pomona students who might not have considered study abroad because of financial concerns or family obligations. She will assist in areas such as program selection and preparing scholarship applications.