Bailee Carter Selected for Gilman International Scholarship
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University student Bailee Carter of Mountain Home is the newest recipient of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The Gilman Scholarship provides funding to students who wish to study or intern abroad.
Carter, a junior biology major with an emphasis in zoology and a minor in animal science, will study in Koh Tao and Chiang Mai, Thailand, in May through June, 2020. The scholarship will allow Carter to study ecosystem conservation and elephant sanctuaries in the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program and to participate in the Thailand College Veterinary Service program.
She plans to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree after completing her undergraduate studies at A-State. Her career goal is to work in a zoo as a large-exotic animal veterinarian.
“I was so shocked to receive this award,” exclaimed Carter. “I am thrilled for my upcoming trip to Thailand and to meet new people and learn a new culture. I hope to bring back an open mind about different ways of living through the experiences I will have studying abroad.”
She is part of the Students United in Preserving, Exploring and Researching Biodiversity (SUPERB) scholarship program, a collaboration among A-State, Murray State University and Southern Illinois University. The program provides support to students studying organismal biology with an interest in biodiversity, conservation and natural history collections.
Carter is also involved in undergraduate research at A-State and participates in the Neuman-Lee lab. Her research, under the direction of Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee, centers on reptile populations of Northeast Arkansas.
She graduated from Mountain Home High School. Her parents are Polly and Bryan Carter of Mountain Home.
Just over 1,300 outstanding students across the U.S. were offered Gilman awards for the spring 2020 semester to participate in credit-bearing study abroad programs and career-oriented internships in countries around the world.
Carter joins a select group of A-State students who have received the Gilman Scholarship, bringing the total to 14 in seven years. Montana Greve of Norfork was selected in July 2019 to study in Ireland and Sierra Clark of Pleasant Plains traveled to Australia last August. Amanda Medaries of Monroe, La., was awarded a Gilman Scholarship in fall 2018 and studied abroad at North-West University in the Republic of South Africa.
Tyler Brown of Hot Springs and Alyssa Green of Sheridan were named recipients in spring 2018. Kandria Driskill of Sheridan, who was awarded a Gilman Scholarship in fall 2017, studied abroad at North-West University in the Republic of South Africa. Julian Jackson of Monticello studied in Austria in the fall of 2017, Hannah Massey of Walnut Ridge spent time in spring 2017 in Northern Ireland, and Raj N. Patel of Bryant studied in Japan during the summer of 2016.
James Frye of West Monroe, La., visited Thailand and Jenny Cheng of Jonesboro studied in Spain in the spring of 2013, and Jonathan Carmichael of Black Oak went to Costa Rica in summer 2013. Michael Markin of Cave City also spent the summer of 2013 studying in China. Leslie Ginn of Walnut Ridge was selected to study in Costa Rica during summer 2012.
Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs with additional funding available for the study of a critical language overseas. Since 2001, the Gilman Scholarship has enabled more than 25,000 Americans of diverse backgrounds to engage in a meaningful educational experience abroad. The program has successfully broadened U.S. participation in study abroad, while emphasizing countries and regions where fewer Americans traditionally study.
The late Congressman Gilman from New York, for whom the scholarship is named, served in the House of Representatives for 30 years (1973-2003) and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee.
The Gilman Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
