W&L’s Alexxis Hatfield ’22 Awarded a Gilman Scholarship Hatfield will travel to Denmark for the fall semester and take multiple psychology classes.

By Erica Turman
May 26, 2021

Alexxis Hatfield ’22 has won a Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. At W&L, Hatfield is majoring in cognitive and behavioral science with a minor in poverty and human capability studies. Hatfield is one of a record number of W&L students – seven – to earn a Gilman Scholarship this academic year.

The scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Hatfield will travel abroad for the fall semester and take multiple psychology classes, including positive psychology, a positive psychology practicum, psychology of human sexuality, and developmental disorders.

“This award is a significant opportunity for me,” Hatfield said. “I have always wanted to study abroad during college as I have never traveled overseas. Since I am financially independent, I didn’t know if it would even be feasible, but this scholarship is helping fulfill my dream of going abroad.”

On campus, Hatfield is a part of the First-Year Orientation Committee, the Leadership Education and Development Program, and the women’s choir, Cantatrici. She also spends time in the lab and researches with Ryan Brindle, assistant professor of cognitive and behavioral science.

“Beyond her self-motivated and detail-oriented work ethic, Alexxis is also a pleasure to be around and conducts herself with the highest degree of decorum,” Brindle said. “From a personal perspective, our research team benefits greatly from her consistently positive attitude.”

In the future, Hatfield plans to attend graduate school for clinical psychology.

“I believe the courses I take in Copenhagen will be relevant to the aspects of psychology that I want to further pursue in grad school and in my career as a clinician,” she said.

The Gilman Scholarship Program, named for retired congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, seeks to diversify the kinds of students who study or intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates.

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