Greyhounds receive prestigious Gilman and Fulbright scholarships

A 2020 Loyola graduate and six members of Loyola’s Class of 2022 have been awarded highly competitive scholarships to fund study international experiences. Hear from some of the recipients on their excitement to study abroad. 

Fulbright Winner

Lindsey Hinczynski, ’20, has received the Fulbright Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year. She will use the scholarship to teach English in Kinmen, Taiwan.

Hinczynski, who was in Loyola’s Honors Program, was a Spanish major with minors in Chinese and international business at Loyola. She hopes her study abroad experience will guide her into a career as an interpreter.

“My goals while teaching English in Taiwan are to see improvement in the English of my students, create meaningful relationships, better my Mandarin, learn new perspectives from those of a completely different culture than my own, and enjoy my time in Kinmen,” said the West Windsor, N.J., native.

Gilman Winners

Six Loyola University Maryland juniors—Alejandra Martinez, ’22, Fiona Pierce, ’22, Mackenzie Shelley, ’22, Anna Tignor, ’22, Joy Walker, ’22, and Erin Wilson, ’22—have each been awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The scholarship will support their study abroad experiences for travel during spring or summer 2021. 

Martinez and Pierce will study in Leuven, Belgium, Shelley will study in Athens, Greece, Walker will study in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, and Tignor and Wilson will study in Rome, Italy.

Martinez, who is originally from Hampton Bays, N.Y., is a political science major and writing minor. 

“Receiving the Gilman Scholarship is an honor in itself,” said Martinez, who is the music director of WLOY Radio. “Studying abroad would be a transformative experience, and I look forward to learning about other cultures.”

Pierce hopes to use her Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in spring 2021. She is an English and secondary education major from Hingham, Mass. 

“I've never left the continent, so I'm excited to experience another culture in an immersive way,” said Pierce. “I have ambitions of becoming a teacher, and I think it's important for everyone to consider other world views, particularly when you're helping other people learn.” 

Shelley, who is from Roxbury, N.J., is a speech-language-hearing sciences major with a minor in special education.

“While studying abroad, I am most looking forward to immersing myself in a new culture and meeting new people,” said Shelley, who is a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) and the Together for Down Syndrome Club (TFDS). “Having this opportunity will help me in my future career as an auditory verbal therapist. Being able to immerse myself in a different culture will help me become more competent and qualified to work with diverse groups of people as well as help widen my understanding of the world.”

Tignor is a speech-language-hearing sciences major with a minor in business administration from Sykesville, Md.

“My goal is to immerse myself fully into my abroad experience and, as Father Linnane says, ‘squeeze the sponge dry’ during my time abroad,” said Tignor, who is a member of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA). “As a future healthcare worker, I believe it is critical to have an appreciation of others’ cultures, so my goal is to immerse myself into Italy’s culture to help shape myself into a more well-rounded individual.”

Walker hopes to use her Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in spring 2021. She is a Comparative Cultures and Literary Studies major from Charlottesville, Va.

“I'm looking forward to the inexhaustibility of perspective while studying abroad,” said Walker. “This experience in another country will allow me to learn about different cultures and prepare me for my future career.”

Wilson, who is in the Pi Epsilon Pi national writing honors program, is a marketing major with a writing minor from Haddon Heights, N.J. 

“This award will open up my options and enrich my experiences while abroad and allow me to make even more of my time there,” said Wilson, who hopes to travel abroad during the summer of 2021. “Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine, because it combines my love of traveling, my fascination with Europe, and my education in marketing.”

Loyola’s National Fellowships Committee mentors and supports students through the application process for opportunities such as the Fulbright and Gilman scholarships.

"It is my pleasure to guide students through the Gilman application process, which provides an opportunity for students to reflect on why they want to study abroad,” said Andrea Giampetro-Meyer, J.D., professor of law and social responsibility and a faculty member on the National Fellowships Committee. “At this time, Gilman has been creative and flexible, allowing students who receive the scholarship to change their plans and/or seek online opportunities.”

Pictured above top left to bottom right: Alejandra Martinez, ’22, Fiona Pierce, ’22, Mackenzie Shelley, ’22, Anna Tignor, ’22, Joy Walker, ’22, and Erin Wilson, ’22

Update: Students' study abroad plans are subject to change due to Loyola's decision not to send students abroad for the Spring 2021 semester.