Six University of Iowa undergraduate students received the Dr. Ken Magid Scholarship to support their internships abroad in Japan, Ireland, Kenya, Austria, and South Africa. Learn more about how this scholarship supports UI students in achieving their global learning goals.

The UI awarded dozens of merit-based scholarships for students studying abroad during the 2024–2025 academic year, supporting programs in countries like South Korea, Spain, Italy, and more. These scholarships promote global learning and help students build intercultural and language skills.

This select group of students will document and share their experiences abroad in real time on the @uiabroad Instagram account, offering a closer look at what it’s really like to live and learn in another country.

The scholarship, founded by UI alumnus Richard J. Tyner in 2017, assists students majoring in world languages, international relations, international studies, or political science as they pursue transformative international internships and coursework.

University of Iowa sophomore Kara Juhl, who has never traveled outside the U.S., will focus on her Spanish proficiency in Santiago, Chile for the fall 2025 semester.

The scholarship is intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon their return to the UI campus.

Eltayeb Ahmed, Natalie Kehrli, and Isabella Rivera share how the grant gave them opportunities to grow outside the classroom.

“Seeing a local community form between Argentine natives and foreigners from around the world, and participating in this exchange, I learned so much about the possibilities of cultural exchange."

Brenda Gao, a University of Iowa student studying psychology, from Iowa City, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Japanese this summer in Okayama, Japan.

Global Access Ambassador Grace Ziomek, a double major in English & creative writing and theatre arts, participated in the IES Dublin Writers Program in fall 2024.

Emma Anderson, a University of Iowa student studying international relations and political science, from Boone, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Persian this summer in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

Malvika Khadiya, a UI political science student from Cedar Falls, Iowa, has been awarded a 2025 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study in Latvia this summer at Dauzgavpils University for an intensive Russian language program.