Chance Kennicutt came to Nebraska Wesleyan to study business.
But a political science class piqued a new interest and led to thoughts about potential careers in national security.
Now Kennicutt, a junior from Sutherland, Neb., is headed to Poland for the 2017-2018 academic year where he will attend the University of Wroclaw and study the country’s political shifts.
His first study abroad experience has been made possible by a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, a nationally competitive program that assists students with study abroad expenses. The program aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go. The scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“I had always known I wanted to spend time abroad and the Political Science Department recognized these ambitions,” said Kennicutt.
“Poland has recently experienced tremendous shifts politically, having elected a government that is questioning the viability of Poland’s membership in NATO as well as the legitimacy of the European Union,” he said. “I hope to gain more insight as to why this backlash towards longstanding institutions is occurring as well as consequences to U.S. national security that will arise from this backlash.”
Kennicutt is the 44th Gilman Scholarship winner from Nebraska Wesleyan University.