WT Student to Attend Irish University with Help from State Department Scholarship

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A West Texas A&M University student will study business on the Emerald Isle thanks to a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.

Krista Bishop, a junior marketing major from Sherman, will spend the fall semester at the University of Galway in Galway, Ireland, thanks to a $3,500 Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship from the State Department.

The Gilman Scholarship enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to national security and economic prosperity, according to the State Department.

Bishop is one of three WT students to have won a Gilman scholarship for the upcoming academic year. Noah Wolff, a sophomore biology major from Pampa, will study at Chonnam National University in Gwanju, South Korea, for the 2023-24 year, and Leigh Womack, a senior theatre major from Hereford, will perform at and attend the acclaimed Edinburgh International Festival in August with other WT students and faculty members.

For her part, Bishop will take marketing and digital design courses at the acclaimed Irish university.

“I hope to gain skills like intercultural communication and learning to adapt to new settings,” Bishop said.

Dr. Ashley Morgan, WT’s Macy Professor of Business in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, said Bishop is a hardworking student who’s excited to have the opportunity to study in Ireland.

“Study Abroad trips provide amazing opportunities for our students at WT,” Morgan said. “This time in Ireland will not only benefit Krista as a person, but also a business student by getting the opportunity to see the world of business from a different country’s perspective.”

This will be Bishop’s second time to travel to Europe, including a spring Study Abroad excursion with other students from WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business to Austria, Switzerland and Germany to visit the European Central Bank and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in May.

“This trip to Galway will be more independent, so I get to experience everything hands on,” Bishop said. “My parents are really excited for me to be able to branch out.”

Bishop had been concerned that financial barriers would prevent her from studying abroad, said Carolina Galloway, WT’s director of Study Abroad and Nationally Competitive Scholarships.

“However, she made the decision to apply for both the faculty-led program with the College of Business and the exchange program in Galway, as well as the Gilman Scholarship. I am proud to see her commitment and determination leading to these opportunities,” Galloway said. “While the journey hasn’t always been easy, as it is for many students, I am confident that these experiences will bring significant personal and professional growth for Krista.”

When she returns in the spring, Bishop plans to encourage other students to seek financial aid such as the Gilman scholarship to pursue their dreams of studying internationally.

“The Gilman scholarship definitely helps me not to have to worry much about a big financial burden,” Bishop said. “I get to experience everything and not have to worry about the money. A lot of people think studying abroad will be too expensive, but scholarships can help them make ends meet. I hope others learn from my example to focus more on the experience they’ll get rather than the cost. Studying abroad truly changes you in a positive way.”

Offering intellectually challenging, critically reflective and regionally responsive academic programs, including Study Abroad, is the University’s primary mission, as laid out in the long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021— has raised more than $125 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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