Jacqueline Baunsgard

2024 Gilman Scholarship Recipient

Hometown

Cle Elum, WA

Major

Industrial Design Professional Program

College

College of Liberal Arts

Established in 2001, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is committed to sending American students of limited financial means from all backgrounds to study abroad.

 

Jacqueline Baunsgard was awarded the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Italy. Her experience with American Sign Language led her to choose the Study Abroad for Deaf and Signers program, so that she can add to her language repertoire and increase her experience working with Deaf communities across cultures. While there, she plans to enhance her deaf studies minor through studying Italian sign language and building foundational linguistic understanding of sign language formation.

 

Having served with the U.S. Navy, Jacqueline approaches new situations with an open mind and a respect for others’ lived experiences. This will be her first time going overseas, but not her first time studying a world language. As a linguist with the Navy, she attained professional working proficiency in an Arabic dialect after studying at the military language school for less than two years. Now, she is looking forward to exploring Deaf Italian culture and history. Gilman and this study abroad will move her one step closer to reaching her goal of becoming a certified ASL translator for school-aged children.

 

Besides providing a window to advance her language interests, Jacqueline is excited to explore the thriving art scene of Siena, Italy. She likes to do arts and crafts in her free time, so Jacqueline said her time in Italy will show her new perspectives and design possibilities. Keeping with her art and design interests, her proposed follow-on project involves making a short film from a mixed-person viewpoint that will highlight Italy, Gilman, and her study abroad. Such a project also is in line with the visual storytelling that is popular among American Deaf communities.