Fardoos Mohamed Named Recipient of the Gilman Scholarship

2014 May 15

Castleton College Social Work major Fardoos Mohamed will spend a portion of her summer in the United Arab Emirates studying Arabic after recently being named the recipient of a prestigious national study abroad scholarship, the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship.

Originally from Somalia, Mohamed spent a majority of her childhood growing up in Yemen before moving to Vermont in 2008. During her time in Yemen she was able to work with refugees, encouraging her eagerness to learn and explore other cultures.

"I've been looking since the first day I got here for the right opportunity to go abroad," she said.

The Gilman Scholarship program provides awards for U.S. undergraduate students to participate in credit bearing, career-oriented study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

The program broadens the student population that studies abroad and is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed will spend over a month at the Sharjah University taking Arabic language classes and becoming immersed in the foreign culture.

With hopes of eventually joining the Peace Corps or United Nations, Mohamed believes her abroad experience will help better prepare her for a future in international relations.

"It was a challenge for me to learn the American culture so now I am challenging myself even more to learn another culture," she said. "It's a great fit for me."