Two Michigan Tech Students win Gilman Scholarships for study abroad

By Jennifer Donovan

HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech students Kara Oikarinen of Calumet and Nicole VanBelle of Kentwood, Mich., have been named winners of prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for study abroad. They were among 900 undergraduates selected for the competitive scholarships from more than 3,000 applicants nationwide.

Oikarinen, a senior majoring in social sciences and education, received $5,000 for study this semester at the University of Ghana at Legon. She plans to bring Ghana back into the classrooms where she will teach, improving young students' knowledge of little-known parts of the world.

Michigan Tech scholarship winner Kara Oikarinen, daughter of Rick and Lorri Oikarinen of Calumet, holds a baby in Ghana. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

"As a teacher, I will be learning about a part of the world that is typically neglected in history and geography classes," she explained. "I will use as many materials from my experience in West Africa as possible to create the most potentially stimulating lessons."

Oikarinen is from Calumet, Mich., where she graduated from Calumet High School in 2006. She is the daughter of Rick and Lorri Oikarinen.

VanBelle, a chemical engineering major from Kentwood, Mich., is one of the first Gilman STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Pilot Scholarship recipients. She is one of 125 students across the country who received the Gilman STEM scholarship for 2010. She will receive $3,000 to study with the Japan Center for Michigan Universities in Hikone, Japan, during the summer of 2010.

Nicole VanBelle hard at work in the chemical engineering lab. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech University)

"Studying abroad is not always advocated for engineers," VanBelle observed. "I hope to show all of my fellow engineers at Michigan Tech that studying abroad can be just as positive as an internship or co-op."

She plans to give presentations about her experiences in Japan to Tech classes and at the Portage Lake District Library.

VanBelle is a graduate of East Kentwood High School in Kentwood, Mich. She is the daughter of Jane and Dave VanBelle.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program provides grants to undergraduates of limited means who are US citizens, to enable them to study abroad. Since the program's inception in 2001, more than 4,200 students have received Gilman Scholarships. The Gilman Scholarships are funded by Congress, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education.

Editor's Note: Guest writer Jennifer Donovan is Director of Public Relations at Michigan Technological University. Article and photos are courtesy Michigan Tech News.