A record number of RIT students has been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to pursue cultural exchanges and research opportunities abroad. “We are so pleased that our talented students continue to be recognized by earning these distinguished fellowships and scholarships,” said Jenny Sullivan, director of Education Abroad and International Fellowships. “This is a testament to the high level of dedication and commitment to their studies, as well as the importance of immersing oneself in different cultures and learning environments. These experiences will undoubtedly contribute to their short-term and long-term successes.” The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State is a competitive, merit-based scholarship that allows U.S. students to gain proficiency in a variety of languages and cultures, skills that are important to their academic and career development. This year’s Gilman scholars studying in Japan are Jeremiah Henderson, an applied modern languages and culture – Japanese option major; Ignacio De Orbe, a game design and development major; Samir Samal, a computing exploration option major; Lilly Anastasia Radon, a game design and development major; and Emily Francisco, a computer engineering technology major. Gilman scholars studying in Croatia are Joshua VanNostrand, a management information systems major; Louis Jon LaGambino, a mechanical engineering technology major; Mamadou D’Elhadj Bah, a web and mobile computing major; Breanna Litviak, a hospitality and tourism management and marketing major; and Kelsey Luke, a new media design and computational mathematics major. Jaimison Grimes, an industrial design major, and Ashley Locatelli, a cybersecurity major, will study in Italy; and Delana Perkins, a civil engineering technology major, will study in Greece. Additionally, several students have been awarded other prestigious international fellowships and scholarships. The DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) Research Internships for Science and Engineering assists students with research in Germany. This program is an opportunity for students to gain practical research experience and students are paired with a German university and a German Ph.D. student on research projects in the fields of science and engineering. This year’s awardees are Nicholas Atteck, a biomedical engineering major, and Anna Piccione, an artificial intelligence MS major. The Critical Language Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students to help fund a language-intensive study abroad program for one semester. This year’s recipient is Ava Inkseep, a cybersecurity and applied modern language and culture – Chinese option double major, who will study Chinese language through Dalian University of Technology in China. The Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink fellowship program gives U.S. students the chance to be part of a 10- to 12-week research summer internship under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members in a variety of academic disciplines including science, engineering, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences. This year’s participants are Ezra Bernstein, a computer science major; Jacqueline Driehaus, an environmental science major; Victoria Prendergast, a biomedical engineering major; Leah Robinson, a biotechnology and molecular bioscience major; and Valentine Webster, a psychology major.

RIT’s partnership with Rochester Prep High School has reached a milestone this year as the 10th class of students prepares to graduate. This year, 100 students will graduate from RPHS, and 12 of them will attend RIT as Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars, to study biochemistry, engineering, photography, computer science, and other disciplines. The seniors shared their future plans with the community at a May 23 event at the high school. In addition to RIT, students will attend Boston College, Johns Hopkins University, University of Notre Dame, and Wellesley College, among many others in New York and out of state. Kadence Wilson, the student-elected speaker at the event, has enrolled in RIT’s biomedical engineering program. “When I came to Rochester Prep, every year we’d go to RIT to see faculty and to see what they were doing,” Wilson said. “I was in the STEP program, and I did the Capstone project. When I go to RIT, I already know what to expect.” Counting the Class of 2025, RPHS will have graduated 613 students during the last decade. According to Rachel Dominic, director of College Counseling at RPHS, 67 students have enrolled at RIT since the first graduating class in 2018. ‌ Pete Schuck/RIT Photo Rochester Prep High School senior Evangeline Simmons will study English at RIT in the fall. Those numbers are bound to rise with the incoming class of 270 ninth graders. The growth spurt results from Rochester Prep expanding to three middle schools. Jeff Allen, RPHS director of operations, said the staff will grow from 59 to 75 to accommodate the influx. RIT’s support through the K-12 University Center has given students on-campus experiences and has fostered opportunities for them to sit in college classrooms and conduct research with faculty and RIT students through the Capstone program, and for a few, to co-author three research papers with faculty. RIT’s partnership has helped students conceptualize college, according to Allen. “To have those experiences is incredible.” In 2013, RIT Board of Trustee member Ronald L. Zarrella funded the partnership between RIT and Rochester Prep High School to increase the number of Rochester city students who attend college and complete their bachelor’s degree. The public charter school, managed by the Uncommon Schools charter network, opened for the 2014-2015 academic year.