MACON — Mercer University’s Office of Global Engagement has awarded its latest round of Global Leader Scholarships (GLS), providing 22 students with a total of $71,500 to participate in study abroad programs during the upcoming spring semester.
The GLS program was launched in 2019 to support students with financial need in pursuing long-term study abroad opportunities at the University. The scholarship initially offered up to $8,000 per student for programs of eight weeks or longer, but the program was expanded to include awards of up to $5,000 for programs of three to eight weeks and up to $3,000 for programs shorter than three weeks.
“Our office is very excited to continue the work of providing this scholarship to Mercer students across the University in their study abroad programs,” said Emily Dunn, assistant director of Global Education. “This year, we were able to expand the scholarship to include students in graduate programs. Graduate students are a vibrant part of the Mercer community and to be able to support them in having an experiential learning experience abroad as part of their degree program helps us to truly embrace ‘changing the world, one student at a time’.”
Of the 22 students who received the most recent scholarships, seven will participate in exchange or affiliate programs and 15 will join faculty-led programs. They include:
- Junaid Alam, a sophomore marketing major, will participate in a spring exchange program in Spain.
- Alberto Aponte, a Master of Accountancy graduate student, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Chile.
- Lauren Autrey, a junior international business major, will participate in a spring exchange program in Spain.
- Maria Bautista, a senior mathematics and political science double major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in South Korea.
- Emily Benelli, a senior journalism and criminal justice double major, will participate in a spring exchange program in Spain.
- Sandy Dinh, a senior biomedical engineering major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in South Korea.
- Kaitlyn Eidson, a senior biology major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Ecuador.
- Hannah Griffin, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in South Korea.
- Shannon Hill, an Organizational Leadership graduate student, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in the United Kingdom.
- Jazayla Huggins, a junior accounting major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Chile.
- Josh Kardon, a junior sports marketing and analytics major, will participate in a spring exchange program in France.
- Gabriel Kopp, a senior journalism and law and public policy double major, will participate in a spring exchange program in Germany.
- Callie Lowery, a senior neuroscience and Spanish double major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Cuba.
- Cristian Martindale, a junior international business and marketing double major, will participate in a spring exchange program in South Korea.
- Erin Meeks, a junior Spanish major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in the Dominican Republic.
- Sarah Pruitt Messick, a junior marketing major, will participate in a spring exchange program in France.
- Stephanie Ned, a Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in the Netherlands.
- David Pham, a senior biomedical engineering major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in South Korea.
- Hannah Simpson, a freshman who has not decided their major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Italy.
- Shane Tharani, a senior mechanical engineering major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in South Africa.
- Abby Whitehead, a sophomore business administration major, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Chile.
- Leila Works, a Master of Business Administration student, will participate in a faculty-led spring break program in Chile.
The next cycle for the Global Leader Scholarship will be for summer 2025 and fall 2025 programs and will be open Feb. 6-March 6. For more information, contact the Office of Global Engagement at studyabroad@mercer.edu or visit mercerabroad.com.
Feature photo: Mercer University recently awarded 22 students with Global Leader Scholarships. Among those students are: (front l-r) Maria Bautista, Junaid Alam, Lauren Autrey, Erin Meeks, (back l-r) Hanna Simpson, Gabriel Kopp, Josh Kardon, Kaitlyn Eidson, Cristian Martindale. Photo by Leah Yetter.
