Linfield College student Alison Pate of Langley, currently studying in Mexico, has received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Pate is a sophomore majoring in art with a minor in Spanish. She is the daughter of David and Teresa Pate of Langley.

Pate is studying at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico, and received the scholarship to be used in conjunction with her semester abroad in Mexico this spring.

In addition to attending classes, students participate in numerous excursions and take part in a community-service project. They live with host families to benefit from full immersion into the Spanish language.

Pate was one of 850 students to win the scholarship this spring.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers a competition for awards for undergraduate study-abroad students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding for a two-year or four-year college or university. It was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. The program encourages students to choose nontraditional study-abroad programs outside Western Europe and Australia.

Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection processes and must use the award for study-abroad costs such as tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

Linfield covers the cost of the first round-trip transportation when students qualify. Students pay regular tuition and a program fee that covers orientation, instruction, administration and field study.