Twin sisters receive Gilman scholarships for Summer Study Abroad

Two University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students have been awarded prestigious Study Abroad Scholarships in the amounts of $4,000 and $4,500, respectively.

Twin sisters Sabrina and Samantha Hanabaga, both graduates of Keaʻau High School and alumni of the Upward Bound Program, received awards from the summer Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. The program was established to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, and to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to fields such as the sciences and engineering or students with diverse ethnic backgrounds or disabilities.

The Hanabaga sisters will be studying abroad in UH Hilo’s Castellano en Peru program starting May 15, 2011. The one-month program, led by UH Hilo Spanish instructor Ms. Luisa Oldmen, will take them to Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Cajamara and Chiclayo.

Sabrina received the $4,000 scholarship and is a nursing major whose goal is to become a traveling nurse providing care to international communities in developing and rural areas. She believes going to Peru will help her gain a more global perspective on international healthcare.

Samantha is a biology major who hopes to become a pharmacist. Her goal through the Castellano en Peru program is to develop a dialogue with the people of Peru and learn about various natural remedies or medicinal plants they use to cure various ailments.

Contact Carolina Lam at (808) 933-8810 or visit www.uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/studyabroad for more information on UH Hilo’s study abroad programs.