Recipients will broaden their global perspectives through immersive study experiences in countries including Japan, Spain and South Africa.Seven students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham will expand their global horizons after being awarded a 2026 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
“The Gilman Scholarship is an amazing opportunity for students to gain cultural competency and life skills that will help carry them forward in their studies and careers,” said Kamina Perdue, assistant director of UAB’s Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships. “These students can travel abroad, engage with diverse communities, and bring what they have learned back to UAB’s campus and the city of Birmingham. Completing the Gilman application process and gaining this type of national recognition often opens the door to all that is possible in the future.”
The 2026 recipients include students representing the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, and the Collat School of Business.
- Ahoud Alamari, an information systems major from Jasper, Alabama, will travel to South Korea.
- Ju Hwan Bae, a biology major and member of the UAB Honors College from Winder, Georgia, will travel to South Africa.
- Walker Busby, a civil engineering major from Birmingham, Alabama, will travel to Austria.
- Ava Good, a psychology major from Birmingham, Alabama, will travel to Italy.
- Proshat Hekhamenesh, a neuroscience major from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, will travel to Japan.
- Karrington Jones, a double major in communication studies and world languages and literatures from Mobile, Alabama, will travel to Spain.
- Ari Shade, an accounting major and a member of the UAB Honors College from Helena, Alabama, will travel to Japan.
The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program aims to make study abroad experiences accessible to a more diverse population of students and allows students to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages and economies — making them better prepared to assume leadership roles in government and the private sector.
UAB’s Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships works closely with the UAB Office of Education Abroad team to guide students through the scholarship process and help them manage the logistics of international travel.
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