NORTHERN TODAY 12 SPRING 2015 STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS S T UD E N T S T HE HISTORY MAJOR said he has barely even traveled outside the state, calling himself an “armchair historian.” “I am very much a homebody,” explained Dawn, an Aberdeen native. But his plans changed after some encouragement from Dr. Steven Usitalo, who shared his own study abroad experiences with Dawn and other students in his Imperial Russia course. “I stressed to him, over and over again, that now’s the time, when he’s young and with less responsibilities, to take advantage of these study abroad opportunities,” said Usitalo, NSU associate professor of history. Now, Dawn is trading in his “armchair” for an airplane ride overseas. He is studying in South Korea from March to December. For Dawn and fellow NSU junior Michael Lout, studying abroad has been made possible thanks in part to funding from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. The program, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, supports students who might otherwise be unable to travel abroad. Students are encouraged to choose nontraditional destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, according to www.iie. org/en/Programs/ Gilman-ScholarshipProgram. Only a few hundred Gilman scholarships are given each term. Dawn and Lout are two of only four undergraduate students from South Dakota universities to receive the prestigious scholarship award in 2014. CHOOSING SOUTH KOREA South Korea was also the destination of choice for Lout, a business management major with a minor in international business. Lout said he hadn’t considered visiting the country before NSU Study Abroad Coordinator Liz Hannum suggested it, and he decided to give it a try. “I wanted to study abroad because I haven’t been outside the United States,” said Lout, also an Aberdeen native. “If it wasn’t for the Gilman Scholarship, I don’t think I would have been able to go to South Korea.” Lout attended a 2014 summer program in Seoul, studying international management and international marketing at Hanyang University. He said he greatly enjoyed the people, culture and food. “The culture was very interesting, and the Korean people were very helpful when I needed directions,” he said. “One person went as far as showing me to the place I wanted to go. She spent 20 minutes walking with me to make sure I got to my destination.” Lout had such a good experience in South Korea, in fact, that he decided to try another exchange program in Schmalkalden, Germany, for fall semester. He said he greatly enjoyed traveling to Paris, London, Barcelona and Rome as well, seeing landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge and London Eye. LEARNING ABOUT ASIA Dawn said he at first wanted to go to Europe, but he realized he already knew European history quite well. He knows less about Asia, and his friends who are NSU international students from South Korea convinced him to go to their home country. Dawn is attending Anyang University for that institution’s spring and fall semesters, studying Korean history, culture and language. The Gilman Scholarship has lessened the financial burden of NSU students receive scholarships to study abroad Studying abroad was not part of the plan for Northern State University junior Matthew Dawn. NSU student Michael Lout pictured in South Korea.
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