Michelle Gross, a senior majoring in criminal justice at Saint Martin’s University, was recently awarded a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for a study-abroad project in the U.K. Gross will take criminal justice courses at London South Bank University in London, U.K., and will also attend cultural enrichment courses through Cultural Experience Abroad University in London. Following her study-abroad trip, Gross will return to Saint Martin’s University to promote the Gilman Scholarship to other students interested in study-abroad opportunities and she will deliver a presentation to the Saint Martin’s University Criminal Justice Club on the differences between the criminal justice system in the U.K. and the U.S.
Gross explained that she is grateful for the scholarship and is looking forward to experiencing all that London has to offer. “I want to see the British system at work as an alternative to our own. I want to learn from the wide variety of professors available at a university that pulls its staff from all around Europe. England is the birth place of our criminal justice system and London is the birth place of the police. This trip is immersive and longer than any trip I’d ever be able to afford in the future. ‘Once in a lifetime’ doesn’t even scratch the surface.”
Teresa Winstead, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology at Saint Martin’s and Gross’s academic advisor, said “Michelle is a very strong student and earning this scholarship to fund a study-abroad program in London is an exceptional experience. I am both delighted and proud that she was awarded the Gilman. In fact, I have already heard from Michelle that she is enjoying her time in London, and getting a lot out of her classes at London South Bank University.”
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to national security and economic competitiveness. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.
