Rapper Jay Z sends college students abroad

He teams up with  State Department program honoring former Jewish U.S. Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-New York

WASHINGTON, D.C.  (Press Release) — The Shawn Carter Foundation (SCF), founded by Shawn “JAY Z” Carter and his mother, Gloria Carter, has increased its support for study abroad scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with financial need through the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. International experiences make young people more competitive in the increasingly globalized workforce. The collaboration between the Shawn Carter Foundation and the Gilman Program supports the State Department’s goal of expanding opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds to study abroad and the foundation’s efforts to broaden the horizons of its scholars.

This year’s six awardees will join the ten Shawn Carter/Gilman International Scholarship recipients from the past year. New for this year, a mentorship program will pair each Shawn Carter/Gilman International Scholarship recipient with a Gilman Alumni Ambassador to provide additional support and guidance from an experienced study abroad student. The 2014 recipients include:

Sydnee Leuellyn, a student from San Marcos, California, who studies sociology at California State University, San Marcos, will study in Johannesburg, South Africa, this fall.

Merissa Anderson, a first-generation college student from Glenwood, Illinois, who is majoring in biology at Eastern Illinois University, studied in Beijing, China, this summer.

Jazmin Gonzalez, a first-generation college student from the Bronx, New York, studying history and Arabic languages and literature at Bard College, studied in Rabat, Morocco, this summer.

Clinton Langston Jr., a first-generation college student from the Bronx, New York, who is an arts student at City University of New York, Hostos Community College, studied in Paris, France, this summer.

Adrian Morris, a first-generation college student from Los Angeles, California, studying political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied in Madrid, Spain, this summer.

Elvia Ramirez-Vidal, a student from Washington, D.C., studying political science and Latin American/Caribbean studies at Temple University, studied in San Jose, Costa Rica, this summer.

*
Preceding provided by the U.S. State Department