Quiamony Gaskins is a native of Norfolk, Virginia. From a young age, Quiamony developed an interest in foreign languages, world history and international travel. In grade school, she studied Spanish, French, Farsi and Arabic and decided to one day become a linguist and foreign language teacher. Quiamony earned a B.A. in International Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and participated in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) as an English-language teaching assistant in northern France after graduation. Currently, Quiamony is a master’s student in the International Education Program at The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, and she has also studied linguistics and foreign language teaching at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California.
Quiamony is passionate about empowering people through education and by encouraging self-discovery and discovery of the world in which we live through experiences like studying abroad. Her very first adventure outside of the United States was to the United Arab Emirates where she studied Arabic and Middle Eastern history at the American University of Sharjah through ISEP Exchange. As a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, Quiamony knows the great impact organizations and scholarship programs can have by providing support to students who are underrepresented amongst the U.S. study abroad population and ensuring these unique, life-changing international experiences are accessible to all.