Four Nebraska Wesleyan University students have won the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which will send them overseas for the spring semester.

Stephen Boakye of Columbus, Ohio; Madelen Deabill of Nebraska City, Maria Niechwiadowicz of Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Carrie Wiese of Columbus were each awarded the highly competitive national scholarship. The award assists with study abroad expenses.

Boakye, a junior exercise science and political science major, will study at Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. He is interested in Morocco because the country speaks Arabic, Spanish, French and Spanish.

“I was also intrigued by the location of the country as it is in North Africa and its northern neighbor is Spain,” he said.

Boakye hopes to eventually pursue a master’s degree in public health and work for a non-governmental organization.

Deabill is a junior psychology and French major and studio art minor who will spend the spring semester at L’Universte Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France. She’s planning a career as an art therapist and hopes her experience in France will provide her with important connections.

“I may not get another opportunity like this in the future,” she said. “I may get to vacation to several places, but it’s a much different experience to actually live in another country.”

Niechwiadowicz, a junior theatre arts major and religion minor, will study at the University of Hyderabad in India. She originally had her eyes set on studying in the Baltic Region but after taking a world religions course, she convinced herself to study somewhere completely unfamiliar.

“I realized I wanted to study religion while abroad because in many countries, religion shapes its culture,” she said. “I hope that this experience will not only give me a greater understanding of our world but help me better understand religious diversity and the cultural impact of religion on a deeper level.

Niechwiadowicz plans to eventually work in religion and ministry.

Wiese is a senior psychology major who will study at the University of Ghana. She hopes to become a nurse and work in underprivileged countries. She was drawn to Ghana for its volunteer opportunities.

“There is a lot of the world to see and experience and I can’t do that by just staying here,” she said. “I figured this would be a good introduction to my career goal because I’ll be comfortable going back or going to similar countries if I know what to expect.”

Gilman scholars are required to carry out a service project that promotes international education and the Gilman Scholarship Program.

Nebraska Wesleyan University students have won 32 Gilman Scholarships since the award was created in 2001.