Journalism Student Awarded Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad in Morocco

Western Washington University senior Zoe Buchli of Issaquah has been awarded a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad for the fall 2018 academic quarter.

The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and provides American students the opportunity to study in diverse cultures and languages around the world to further develop skills that are crucial to their future careers.

Buchli is a Journalism major with a minor in Arabic and Islamic Studies. She will travel to Rabat, Morocco to participate in the School for International Training (SIT) Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media program. Buchli said she chose Morocco because of the opportunity for Arabic immersion.

“I wanted to find some place where I could go and experience international reporting and build my skills in that area,” Buchli said.

During her time in Morocco, Buchli will write for Reporting Morocco, a student publication through SIT Morocco that reports on a variety of Morocco news topics including the environment, politics, economy, culture, religion, public health and women.

“I think it will be an invaluable experience in and of itself, in that I am going to be exposed to the career I want, and will be able to cover important issues that affect people worldwide,” she said.

“It’s so important to learn about other people in other countries and how other people are living outside of our community sphere in the U.S.,” Buchli said. “I think this will give me that exposure in a way that just staying at Western couldn’t.”