The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recently awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to two Southwestern University students, Leslie Gabino Benitez ’27 and Elisa Dierksmeier ’26.

Leslie Gabino Benitez ’27Through their scholarships, both students are participating in the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). Gabino Benitez recently traveled to southern Spain to begin her Spring 2025 semester at the Universidad de Murcia. Dierksmeier is set to return to Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea this fall after beginning her studies there this summer.

Originally from nearby Elgin, Texas, Gabino Benitez is a business major at Southwestern, focusing on finance and pursuing a minor in Spanish. During her semester at the University of Murica, she is gaining international business experience through her coursework and cultural immersion.

A New York native, Dierksmeier is an anthropology and international studies double major pursuing a minor in Chinese. This fall, she will be focusing on international relations, developing specialized skills necessary to resolve critical issues facing governments and society through public discourse.

Elisa Dierksmeier ’26As part of her award, she will be collaborating with the Upward Bound educational program as a foreign language instructor. Dierksmeier is currently the Student Activities Coordinator for Upward Bound at Southwestern.

She will be promoting critical language education and cultural awareness in early education by creating a unique and engaging secondary language curriculum through media and pop culture. The project also earned Dierksmeier the Gilman Critical Need Language Award, a supplemental award bestowed to select students studying one of 16 critical need languages as identified by the U.S. Department of State.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students receiving Federal Pell Grants to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. Named after the late Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, the program aims to broaden the student population that studies abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints.

Gabino Benitez and Dierksmeier extend Southwestern’s lengthy history with the Gilman Scholarship. Since the program’s inception in 2001, a total of 42 SU students have now had the opportunity to study abroad thanks to the aid of a Gilman Scholarship. This marks the sixth consecutive year that at least one SU student has earned participation in the program, and the fourth consecutive year in which multiple SU students have been selected.

Through the program, Southwestern students have been able to study abroad in 32 different countries across six continents, including Australia, China, Costa Rica, India, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay, among others.

Supported 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 (ECA) and is aided in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, visit gilmanscholarship.org.