OGLESBY – Illinois Valley Community College student Claire DeGraaf, daughter of Larry and Deborah DeGraaf of Marseilles, was selected as a recipient of the highly-competitive U.S. State-sponsored Gilman Program scholarship to aid in her study abroad in Ireland in spring 2021. The Gilman Program offers grants for undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue credit-bearing academic studies or career-oriented international internships.
Because the State Department sponsors the program, participants may be contacted by representatives of the U.S. embassy or consulate for opportunities to attend diplomatic receptions, presentations on the U.S. higher education system and network opportunities with peers who were foreign participants of State Department exchange programs.
DeGraaf, an arts education major and 2019 graduate of Seneca High School, will attend Carlow College in Ireland. While in Ireland, she may apply to the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.
She was inspired to pursue a bachelor’s in secondary art education by her high school art instructor, Mike Applebee. “He helped me take my love for the arts and turn it into something I could carry with me forever, to be someone else’s Mr. Applebee down the line,” she said.
Two of DeGraaf’s three siblings have also studied abroad, the eldest a proud Gilman scholarship recipient. “My sister, Kaycee, is the reason I even know what the Gilman scholarship was and how important it would be. I saw firsthand how her time abroad in Thailand had changed her life.
“For me, my time abroad will be used to decide exactly what I want and where to go from here,” she added.
DeGraaf is excited about the feeling of adventure and a ‘found home’ during her studies. “My mom and I joke about how on-the-ball the IVCC slogan is. I look forward to studying in Ireland and am proud to represent IVCC among the small, competitive pool of Gilman recipients.”
IVCC instructor and coordinator of international/multicultural education and study abroad Amanda Cook Fesperman said, “We are very excited for Claire and proud of her achievement. The list of recipients includes students from colleges and universities all over the country, including Ivy League schools. It was no small feat to earn the Gilman.”
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