Brie Flewelling ’21, Recipient of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, Shares Florence Study Abroad Experience

Brienna (Brie) Flewelling, a communications design major and museum studies minor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, attended Syracuse Abroad's Florence program in Spring 2020 with financial support from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship-- a scholarship that offers generous financial support to federal Pell Grant recipients studying abroad. Brie learned about the Gilman Scholarship during her sophomore year (the year before she applied to study for a semester at the Syracuse Florence Center), and realized with the support of the scholarship she just might be able to attend. As a designer and storyteller, Brie is interested in "how great design can make an otherwise unheard or unseen perspective or narrative compelling." Although her time in Florence was cut short due to Covid-19, Brie chose to share her experience--including various aspects of Italian design--through her virtual project "Six + Two: 8 Weeks Abroad in Florence & London."  This virtual project counts as Brie's Follow-on-Service project for the Gilman Scholarship--a requirement of all Gilman recipients after they return to the U.S.

When asked about her experience participating in study abroad through the Gilman Scholarship, Brie says "The Gilman Scholarship is a wonderful program [that] provided me with great resources while I was studying in Florence. Syracuse Abroad and the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) were also so incredibly supportive throughout the entire application process." The Gilman Scholarship application for Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Academic Year 2021-2022, and Spring 2022 study abroad programs will open in late January 2021.