Kayla Lark, a junior Trustee Scholar majoring in Cytotechnology, was recently awarded a prestigious Gilman Scholarship to study abroad this summer. Lark will be participating in the Coral Reef Survey course taught by Dr. Jon Good, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences.
“It has always been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Australia and see the Great Barrier Reef, so I couldn’t contain my excitement when I saw my acceptance letter in the mail for my Gilman Scholarship.” said Kayla Lark. “Not only will I be able to enjoy the beaches, but this funding will allow me to perform national research to hopefully improve the Great Barrier Reef as well.”
The scholarship is a competitive process where students are advised by the Global Programs office to help the committee understand who they are as a person, student, and global citizen. Since 2001, the Institute of International Education (IIE), has awarded the Gilman Scholarship enabling Pell eligible students the opportunity to “gain proficiency in diverse languages and cultures, skills that are critically important to their academic and career development.”
“Kayla is an amazing student,” said Ann Robinson, Director of the Global Programs Office. “We are so excited to see her study abroad as she will be a tremendous asset to the Australia 2023 faculty-led program”.
The course is a spring class where students learn about marine life and the best practices for surveying a coral reef. The students are doing pre-work before they travel. In August, Lark along with a group of 14 other Daemen students and Dr. Good will study reefs off of Fitzroy Island in Australia. Their work and data will be shared with the Australian government.