Kit Gonifas was selected as a 2023 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship recipient to study abroad. Gonifas, an art major and art history minor, will spend the Fall 2023 semester at the University of York in York, England.
"Winning this scholarship cements the fact that I get to study abroad - something I've been thinking about for a year and a half," said Gonifas. "I've always enjoyed traveling, and I look forward to the opportunity to experience [York's] culture and people."
A requirement of the scholarship is that students create a “follow-on service project” that is completed upon the conclusion of their study abroad. For Gonifas' project, she plans to create an exhibition featuring several of the works she will create surrounding her time abroad. She also plans to use this experience to aid her career, "While I aim to do art history as a career, I am first and foremost a studio art major. I'll be taking my supplies [and] camera to document my time abroad. I want to incorporate my experiences into my senior thesis and my works going forward."
The Gilman Scholarship is 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. Gonifas is NWU's 62 student to receive the Gilman Scholarship since the program began in 2001.
She graduated from Pius X High School in Lincoln.