(Posted May 8, 2017)

Skye Smay, a freshman from Portage, Pa.
Skye Smay, a freshman from Portage, Pa.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Skye Smay, a freshman at Juniata College from Portage, Pa. studying biology, received a $4,000 Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad this summer at the Institute for Advanced Studies of the East, in Orizaba, Mexico.

            Smay, the daughter of Jennifer Plummer, of Summerhill, Pa., and granddaughter of Faith Frombach and Charles Miller, of Portage, Pa. She is a 2016 graduate of Forest Hills High School.

            The Gilman Scholarships, named for Benjamin Gilman, a Republican U.S. Representative from New York, offer grants for undergraduate students of limited financial means to study abroad. More than 1,200 scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded every academic year. The program also encourages students to choose non-traditional destinations for their study-abroad experience.

            The program is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State.

            This summer, Smay will spend four weeks in language study and then participate in a six-week internship.

"Everyone here is always trying to help students. I fell in love with Juniata when I stepped onto campus for my visit. I could really see myself succeeding here."

Skye Smay '20

            “I love the atmosphere here at Juniata,: Smay says. “Everyone here is always trying to help students. I fell in love with Juniata when I stepped onto campus for my visit. I could really see myself succeeding here.”

            Smay has been active on the Juniata campus, where she is a member of the HOSA -- Future Health Professionals and the Spanish Club. She also is a member of the Juniata cheerleading team.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.