Q&A with Gilman Scholar Sophie Liu

The Benjamin A. Gilman Internatonal Scholarship Program was initiated to help students with financial need access study abroad and internship opportunities. Since 2009, St. John’s University has had 69 Gilman scholarship award recipients, with funds totaling $253,500.

Sophie Liu is a Spring 2025 Gilman Scholar majoring in Childhood Education. She is currently studying at St. John’s Rome, Italy, location.

Why did you want to study abroad?

Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine. My love for traveling, and as a result, my desire to study abroad, was truly fostered and championed by my mom. She is the one who instilled in me the importance of travel and inspired me to take on this new journey. From a young age, my mother has often told me stories of her travels around China and its countryside after graduating high school. She would often tell me that it was because of that experience she was able to grow her self-resiliency and confidence. She often pushed me to take up new opportunities and embrace new experiences for growth when presented to me.

The desire to study abroad grew even more for me in high school when I learned that many universities have study-abroad opportunities for their students, and that studying abroad is something that is possible and popular for students. When it came time to do research on colleges and later commit to one, St. John’s was at the top of my list, especially after learning about their study- abroad programs. Their mission to make a global education accessible for all its students and the quality of the programs made committing to this new experience an easy decision for me. 

How did you learn about the scholarship?

I first learned about the scholarship during one of the study abroad info sessions held by the Office of International Education, which I attended during my first year. Leading up to my time abroad, there were many other events held by the OIE where I learned more about the scholarship, my eligibility as a Federal Pell Grant recipient, and the logistics of applying. 

What did you have to do for the application? What assistance, if any, did you receive about applying?

The application was fairly straightforward. Applicants were required to fill out some questionnaires about themselves and their program that helped to determine eligibility for the scholarship. Applicants were expected to upload an official transcript and write three essays that ask applicants to write about their reason for studying abroad, how they will build connections with their host community, how they will connect their experience as a US citizen to their time abroad, and create a proposal for a service project. The project, required for all Gilman scholars when they return home, raises awareness of study abroad and the Gilman program in a specific community of the applicant’s choosing.

Why did you choose to study in Rome?

Italy has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit for the longest time, but the main reason why I chose to study in Rome was because of the amazing and unique program that The School of Education (SOE) offers in Rome.

As a SOE student, we get to student teach at local Italian schools. For childhood education majors like me, we get to go to a local primary school just 15 minutes away from the St. John’s Rome location every week for four hours. We get paired up with some of the teachers at the school, and co-teach English to the students ranging from grades 1-5. Toward the end of the program, we get the opportunity to actually teach English to the students.

Would you have been able to study in Rome if you had not won the scholarship?

Yes, I would have been able to study abroad in Rome, but just barely. I was fortunate enough to be awarded some internal aid and scholarship money from the school to study abroad. However, it would have still been a huge financial burden and most of the aid to cover the cost would have come from federal loans. Winning the scholarship has helped lessen the heavy financial burden that would have come from studying abroad for me.