29 Scholars Across Eight Schools Awarded Gilman Scholarships; Eight at Four Community Colleges Are Named Kaplan Scholars
Both Programs Provide Opportunities for Talented Students with Limited Financial Means to Augment Their College Experience
Some of the awardees include, clockwise from top left: Jafnoon Khatun, Solange Arias, Becky Li, Niharika Ojha, Tasnim Sumaita, Mayar Abdelalim, Mame Diarra Bousso Fall, Kenny Lin, Nataly Briones, Tashem (Ty) Porter and Nura Baalla.
The City University of New York today celebrated the selection of 29 students for the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and eight others who were named among the Kaplan Educational Foundation鈥檚 Kaplan Leadership Program. Both programs provide opportunities for talented students from low-income backgrounds to augment the educational opportunities they are receiving at CUNY, including study abroad.
鈥淧rograms like the Gilman Scholarship and Kaplan Leadership Program provide invaluable opportunities for our students to make the most of their higher education experience,鈥� said CUNY Chancellor F茅lix V. Matos Rodr铆guez. 鈥淲e congratulate the outstanding CUNY scholars who have been selected for these competitive programs. We are proud that they will continue to represent our University as they pursue their ambitions and goals.鈥�
Offered by the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Gilman Scholarship supports study abroad for students with limited financial means. The Kaplan Leadership Scholars help high-performing, low-income community college students from the New York City metropolitan area complete their associate degree, transfer to a four-year college and obtain their bachelor鈥檚 degree.
The recipients of the Gilman Scholarship include 10 students from , six each from 91淫母视频 and , three from , two from Lehman College and one each from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Queens College. Five of these students are also enrolled in Macaulay Honors College, while one is enrolled in the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies individualized degree program. The newly named Kaplan Leadership Scholars include three students each from and , as well as one each from and Queensborough Community College.
Gilman Scholars
Each year, the Gilman Scholarship grants up to $5,000 to students who are traditionally underrepresented in education abroad with the goal of helping them develop professional skills, language proficiency and understanding of the world. According to the Institute of International Education, which administers the Gilman program, who studied abroad in the 2023-24 academic year. Since 2022, CUNY students have collectively earned 283 Gilman Scholarships. Below is a list of CUNY鈥檚 Spring 2026 Gilman Scholarship recipients and the country where they were selected to study abroad:
Baruch College聽
- 惭补苍补蝉惫颈苍颈听颁丑颈迟丑补谤补苍箩补苍听(顿别苍尘补谤办)
- Jainab Jahra (France)
- Felix Ramos (Spain)
Borough of Manhattan Community College聽
- Gloria Asante (South Africa)
- Ricardo Distefano (South Africa)
- Cody Dunkley (Italy)
- Abulah聽Jawara (Ghana)
- Emily聽Renee聽Marquez (Netherlands)
- John Muccino (Italy)
- Sania Christiana Pinnock (South Korea)
- Jasmin Rodriguez (Japan)
- Sam Salh (Japan)
- Chaw Hsu Thinn (Italy)
City College of New York聽
- Heaven Castillo Tejeda (Costa Rica)
- Damante Griffith (Japan)
- Zuha Khan, Macaulay Honors College student (Jordan)
- Susan Lin, Macaulay Honors College student (Morocco)
- Rachel Olatunji (France)
- Mariela Roa (Costa Rica)
Hunter College聽
- Solange Arias (United Kingdom)
- 惭补测补谤听础产诲别濒补濒颈尘听(惭辞谤辞肠肠辞)
- Jafnoon Khatun, Macaulay Honors College student (Australia)
- Becky Li (Belize)
- Niharika Ojha聽(Morocco)
- Tasnim Sumaita, Macaulay Honors College student (Ecuador)
John Jay College of Criminal Justice聽
- Angelina Hamza (Japan)
Lehman College聽
- Amna Ishaq, Macaulay Honors College student (Morocco)
- Prescila聽Otoo (Spain)
Queens College聽
- Laiba Mahmood,聽CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies student听(贰肠耻补诲辞谤)
Kaplan Leadership Scholars
The Kaplan Educational Foundation (KEF) offers the Kaplan Leadership Program to help high-potential community college students from the New York City area with financial need to complete their associate degree, successfully transfer and proceed to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Previous scholars from CUNY include Nolvia聽Delgado, a 2009 BMCC graduate who today serves as KEF鈥檚 executive director and was recently highlighted among the University鈥檚 50 Under 50 Alumni for her standout leadership.聽Below is a list of CUNY鈥檚 2025-26 Kaplan Leadership Scholars:
Borough of Manhattan Community College聽
- 狈耻谤补听叠补补濒濒补
- Devin Dong
- Tashem聽(Ty) Porter
Hostos Community College聽
- NaiAsia McGregor
LaGuardia Community College聽
- Nataly Briones
- Mame Fall
- Kenny Lin
Queensborough Community College聽
- Pamela De Leon Berroa
The City University of New York is the nation鈥檚 largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation鈥檚 first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and eight honors, graduate and professional institutions spread across New York City鈥檚 five boroughs, serving nearly 240,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY鈥檚 mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University鈥檚 graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city鈥檚 economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city鈥檚 workforce in every sector. CUNY鈥檚 graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur 鈥済enius鈥� grants. The University鈥檚 historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit .
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