“Having malaria as a child in Haiti left an unforgettable mark on me,” said Salisbury University senior chemistry major Andersen Herman. “I saw firsthand how this dangerous disease affected me and everyone around me.”

According to the World Health Organization, more than 500,000 people worldwide die of malaria every year. While Herman recovered, the experience left an indelible impression on him, leaving him with a desire to pursue a career in health care. Moving to the U.S. with his family at age 12, he went on to work as a certified nursing assistant shortly after high school and during his time at SU.

Now, the Fruitland, MD, resident will have the opportunity to take his health studies even further, on an international scale, as a recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. The Gilman program provides students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills the Department of State deems critical to national security and economic prosperity.

Through the initiative, Herman spent part of SU’s winter term studying health behavior at the American Institute for Foreign Studies in Salzburg, Austria, with Dr. Sherry Maykrantz, SU associate professor of public health.

“Her expertise in population health management, health education and leadership, combined with Austria’s commitment to health and wellness, created an ideal setting for my studies,” he said. “The course allowed me to explore health behavior theories and practical interventions directly related to my research on malaria and other public health issues.”

The course expanded on a research foundation he has built by studying malaria using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques, allowing him to explore the biochemical interactions of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes the disease. He also hopes to use his experience in Austria to encourage others to study abroad — particularly members of Salisbury’s Haitian community — through a series of workshops and discussions.

In addition to the Gilman program, Herman has applied for a Fulbright Student Award he hopes will allow him to further his research in Slovakia. Ultimately, he plans to enroll in a doctoral program (the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is his goal) and pursue a career as a physician scientist.

“I am confident I will achieve my dream when I call my parents one day and say, ‘Hello, Mom and Dad, I created a drug that cures malaria,’” he said.

Herman is not SU’s only Gilman Scholarship recipient for 2025. Next summer, Gilman winner Sam Dickerson of Chesapeake City, MD, will spend 10 days studying computer visualization in space at the University of Tartu, Estonia.

A junior computer science and English major, Dickerson is also an avid runner hampered by lower-leg injuries. After reading the book The Lost Art of Running, in which author and running technique analyst Shane Benzie analyzes the running styles of some of the world’s most naturally gifted athletes, he was inspired to begin his own project. His idea was to film athletes’ foot strikes and other running movements and analyze them via artificial intelligence as a way of determining how to correct his own form and prevent further injuries.

“The University of Tartu’s program will provide me with the necessary skills to complete this project,” he said. “Finishing this project during my undergraduate career will be of tremendous benefit in searching for a career in AI and image processing after graduation. It would provide great potential for me to explore the niche of using computer science to analyze the efficiency of athletes on the collegiate or professional level.”

The determination and self-discipline Dickerson has developed as a runner have benefitted him in the classroom, as well, leading to top grades in particularly challenging computer science courses. He hopes his experience in Tartu (a Sister City to the City of Salisbury, MD) will do the same for his writing abilities as an English major.

“I think that the opportunity to travel, especially to a completely new country, and to experience a different culture is really going to change my outlook,” he said. “It broadens your perspective. It’s something I won’t easily forget, so I’m probably going to have to write about it to get it out of my system.”

As a student worker in SU’s Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office, Dickerson assists his peers with applications for opportunities like the Gilman Scholarship. He believes his time in Estonia and success with the Gilman program will provide him with an even better skillset to promote those opportunities, hopefully helping others reach their own academic and study abroad goals.

SU students or alumni interested in applying for the Gilman or other national fellowships should complete an online interest form here or contact Dr. Kristen Walton, director of the SU Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office, at [email protected] for assistance. For more information, visit www.salisbury.edu/nationalfellowships.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at www.salisbury.edu.