A. Gilman Podcast

Can the Planet Sustain Study Abroad with Mariana Zapata

Could traveling the world aid in simultaneously destroying it? Unfortunately, without taking the proper steps towards educating oneself and “paying the cost of admission” as explained by this week’s guest Mariana Zapata (France, 2012), we risk doing just that. Mariana joins the A. Gilman Podcast this month to use this upcoming Earth Day as a chance to reflect on the environmental impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. As a sustainability and travel writer, Mariana discusses how the planet has blossomed as millions of people were asked to stay inside and what that tells us about our habits as humans.

Mariana Zapata is a Colombian-American sustainability and travel writer who has lived and worked around the world in cities like Seoul, Paris, Bogota, and New York. Her writing has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Thrillist, NBC News Shopping, Apartment Therapy, The Writer, Mariott Bonvoy Traveler en Español, and more.

Check out her articles on her website and connect with her via Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

A. Gilman Story: A Military Perspective on Study Abroad with Lindsay Clark and Angel Torres

On this special military-focused episode honoring the late senator John S. McCain, we are joined by Gilman Scholarship recipient Lindsay Clark and Gilman-McCain Scholarship recipient Angel Torres. Learn about how growing up in military families uniquely prepared Lindsay Clark to dive deeply into her cultural immersion while abroad and helped Angel adapt quickly during his time returning from his host country during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

Lindsay is an army brat turned paratrooper for the United States Army turned current medical student and went to Madagascar with Gilman in 2017. Angel Torres is a Chemical Engineering student at the University of Puerto Rico and is a part of the inaugural class of Gilman-McCain Scholarship recipients and traveled to Spain with Gilman this year.   

Connect with Lindsay on Instagram and with Angel on Instagram or LinkedIn!  

Creating an Inclusive Women's Empowerment Movement with Ifrah Akhtar

Valiant, trailblazing women like first-generation Rutgers University alumna Ifrah Akhtar (South Korea, 2017) is one of the many reasons why we celebrate Women’s History Month. On this episode of the A. Gilman Podcast, Ifrah joins us to discuss her triumphs and self-discoveries while traveling abroad as a Muslim woman.  She debunks myths about the value of pursuing a degree in Women and Gender studies and how the courses provided her an introspective college experience. The biggest takeaway from this episode is Ifrah’s reflection on the feminist movement in the United States and the changes that need to be made to the women’s empowerment narrative to include more diverse voices and uplift Islamic feminists.

Ifrah Akhtar is a recent graduate from Rutgers University where she studied Religion, as well as Women and Gender Studies. Ifrah had the opportunity to travel with the Gilman Scholarship Program to South Korea in 2017. She was a member of the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutgers,  the creator of the Muslim’s Abroad guide, and is an avid foodie. Now, Ifrah is the editor-in-chief of the digital publication MODEST Magazine which is proud to work towards redefining and promoting modest fashion.

Follow Modest Magazine on Instagram and connect with Ifrah on LinkedIn or Instagram!

Building a Legacy & Redefining Your Normal with Alexis and Justin Black

Happy Valentine's Day and Black History Month from the A. Gilman Podcast!

It’s all about #couplegoals this month as we have Justin and Alexis Black (South Korea, 2017 and Ecuador, 2018) joining us on the podcast. In this episode, hear Justin and Alexis discuss their experience growing up in the foster care system, studying abroad as inspiration for their careers, and pursuing professional success. Listen in for their best tips for entrepreneurial success after undergrad and what’s next for them. 

Before becoming authors, Justin and Alexis created The Scholarship Expert group, where they connect children in the foster system and first-generation students to financial scholarships. The two of them are also alumni of Western Michigan University and the Gilman Scholarship program and recent authors of their new book Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat The Odds And Discovered Healing, Happiness, And Love.

Connect with Justin and Alexis on their website, Facebook, and Instagram. 

USE CODE: 50OFFRN for 50% off an autographed copy of Redefining Normal! 

 

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GIVEAWAY!

We are hosting a giveaway this month where our listeners can enter to win a FREE COPY of Redefining Normal. You can either win a copy through Instagram, Twitter, or Apple Podcasts. 

For our Apple Podcasts listeners, simply give us five stars and leave a review below and you are entered to win. Interested in a different way to enter the giveaway? Check out the Gilman Scholarship's Instagram and Twitter for more details.

Winners will be announced on February 22nd! 

 

Telling Your Story and Ours: Gilman's 20th Anniversary with Josh Berry

Happy New Year and Happy 20th Anniversary of the Gilman Scholarship! In honor of this 20th anniversary, we are joined by Gilman alumnus Josh Berry this month. Josh Berry was one of the first-ever Gilman scholars who traveled to Chile with the program in 2002. Josh is now an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the U.S. and is a skilled storyteller. In this episode, he talks about his experience filling out a paper application for the scholarship, exploring seemingly dead-ends abroad, and tips on developing storytelling as an essential leadership skill.

Josh grew up immersed in the coastal wilderness of Northern California and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Since graduating, he has worked with major worldwide brands across the retail, automobile, and non-profit industries. His early experience with vast landscapes, profound silence, and intense weather influenced his work as a filmmaker and activist. Don't hesitate to check out the two films mentioned in this episode: The Survival of a Shark Man and Sydney!

 

Connect with Josh on his website, byjoshberry.com!

A. Gilman Story: Hydroponics to the People; Food for the Future with Abraham Àlvarez García

HUGE THANKS to all of our listeners who have joined the A. Gilman Podcast family since our debut in July. Please leave us a review so we can know what content you are looking forward to listening to in 2021! Happy Holidays and see you in January!

Follow the Gilman Scholarship on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! 

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Join Sarah and Gilman Alumnus Abraham Álvarez García on the newest episode of the A. Gilman Podcast! Come and hear about Abraham’s experience traveling to the Netherlands as a first-generation college student. Learn about how he took his knowledge and passions for environmental sustainability and vertical farming around Europe. Upon his return home, with the addition of his global experiential learning, he is helping to battle food insecurities and promote food education in his home state. 

Abraham Álvarez García is a Water Resources major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a passion for vertical farming, renewable energy, and STEM mentorship. He was born in Mexico but grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He recently studied abroad in the Netherlands where he furthered his research in controlled environment agriculture. Abraham is also the co-creator of Hydroponics for Milwaukee.   

Connect with Abraham on LinkedIn!  

A. Gilman Story: Finding Your Place at Work and In the World with Chloe Bates

The Gilman Scholarship welcomes Gilman alumna Chloe Bates to the podcast this month to talk all things virtual. Chloe takes us back to her time in the birthplace of flamenco dance, where she first learned about the Virtual Student Federal Service internship program. Operating virtually during a pandemic was never going to be easy, however, Chloe shares her insights about the benefits of her internship experience as well as her journey with mental health and wellness that began during her time abroad.

 

Chloe Bates is a 2020 graduate from the University of Maryland where she majored in Communications and Spanish. She studied abroad with the Gilman Scholarship in the spring of 2019 in Sevilla, Spain as part of a language and cultural immersion program. While abroad, she attended a Gilman Regional Careers Summit and later discovered and eventually interned with the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS). Chloe is now working for the U.S. Department of State, is a freelance creative strategist, and is an avid equestrian.

 

Connect with Chloe on Instagram, LinkedIn or on her website.

A. Gilman Story: Gilman Careers Helping with COVID-19 with Robin Abeles

        Professional bassist turned physician's assistant Robin Abeles (Chile, 2008) joins the A. Gilman Podcast this month to provide listeners with a deep dive into what happened on the front lines during the peak of the COVID pandemic outbreak. Similarly, to the chaotic arrival of his first few days in Santiago, Robin tells us the story about how his team at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center prepared for their first moments combatting the virus. A virus that was uniquely impacting Hispanic but largely Native American communities in the state. 

       Robin Abeles is an Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Physicians Assistant and studied Classical Music Performance while abroad with the Gilman Scholarship program. In addition to earning his Master’s of Science at Duke University, Robin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of New Mexico and a Master’s degree in Music from the University of Utah. Robin is also an avid skier.   

 

Connect with Robin on Linkedin!  

A. Gilman Story: Becoming a Global Ambassador for Social Change with Lamar Shambley

Gilman alum Lamar Shambley (Spain, 2009) joins the A. Gilman Podcast this month to breakdown his inspiration and mission behind his non-profit Teens of Color Abroad.  Lamar discusses his thoughts on the value of global exchange programs for students of color as well as the challenges African American students can face embarking on international adventures.    

  

As the founder of Teens of Color Abroad (TOCA), Lamar helps expose students of color to global languages and cultures to enhance their language learning experiences, augment their educational outcomes, and strengthen their global competency skills. TOCA and Lamar want to teach students of color about the necessity of multicultural competency, developing critical career advancement skills, and gaining a deeper perspective on your own country’s cultural diversities. Lamar Shambley is based in Brooklyn, NY with seven years of experience teaching both middle school math and high school Spanish.  

 

Follow Teens of Color Abroad on Instagram and connect with Lamar on LinkedIn. 

 

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JINGLE CONTEST:

Calling all musically gifted Gilman Scholars and Alumni, the A. Gilman Podcast needs your help! Whether you are a Launchpad enthusiast or a classically trained saxophonist, we would love for you to try your hand at creating the official theme music for the A. Gilman Podcast. Please create an original upbeat, pop/jazzy track that is no less than 30-seconds, and email your creation as an MP3 to gilmanpodcast@iie.org . You can also share the file with us via Google Drive. Oh, did we mention that there is a prize for the winning composer?

A. Gilman Story: A Path to a Career at the United Nations Foundation with Shriya Bhattacharya

On the inaugural episode of A. Gilman Podcast, 2017 Gilman Scholar Shriya Bhattacharya introduces us to her adventures in Brussels, Belgium, and how her experiences abroad led her to land her dream post-graduation job at the United Nations Foundation. 

Shriya Bhattacharya is an Indian-American former Gilman Scholarship alumna (Belgium, 2017), who now works in Washington D.C at the United Nations Foundation as the Coordinator of the Universal Access Project. She is also a health and politics writer for Brown Girl Magazine, the first-ever global multimedia publication dedicated to South Asian self-expression and dialogue. She has also been published in Teen Vogue and Ms. Magazine and her reporting interests include women's health, youth activism, and immigrant rights. Shriya graduated from Agnes Scott College in 2018 with a degree in International Relations and Dance.

 

Connect with Shriya on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

 

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JINGLE CONTEST:

Calling all musically gifted Gilman Scholars and Alumni, the A. Gilman Podcast needs your help! Whether you are a Launchpad enthusiast or a classically trained saxophonist, we would love for you to try your hand at creating the official theme music for the A. Gilman Podcast. Please create an original upbeat, pop/jazzy track that is no less than 30-seconds, and email your creation as an MP3 to gilmanpodcast@iie.org by July 17th at 5:00 pm EST. You can also share the file with us via Google Drive. Tune into our new episode on August 3rd for the winner to be revealed. Oh, did we mention that there is a prize for the winning composer?