A student entrepreneur at West Virginia University will learn how to grow his business when he studies in Hong Kong as a Gilman Scholar.
Demitrus Jones, a junior majoring in entrepreneurship and innovation in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, will attend Hong Kong Baptist University in the spring semester. His goal is to learn more about the global and Chinese markets with an eye to strengthening the brand of clothing he has developed as an undergraduate student. He’s selling shirts under the brand of Royalte-Earn Your Blessings.
“Hong Kong will be a great place to learn about fashion, textiles, sourcing and manufacturing,” Jones said. “I’m excited to learn about Asian culture.”
This is the first time that Jones, a native of Mount Hope, will travel internationally. Change is a word he likes to use a lot as he embraces change in his life and business. When asked what he wants to do with his education, he becomes philosophical.
“The future is unpredictable so I focus on the ‘how’ and the not the ‘what,’” Jones said. “This is how I want to be in life.”
He’s proud to be a first-generation college student and is grateful for the assistance he has received at WVU to pursue his dreams. He credits the ASPIRE and Global Affairs offices for helping him achieve this award.
“The Gilman Scholarship gives our students international experiences that they otherwise wouldn’t have had,” said Ryan Claycomb, faculty advisor for the Gilman Scholars and acting dean of the Honors College. “This is an exciting opportunity for Demitrus to live and study in one of the hottest global markets in the world.”
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to the country’s national security and economic competitiveness. The WVU Office of Global Affairs and Financial Aid certify applicants.
Students who are interested in applying for the Gilman or other nationally competitive scholarships can email aspire@mail.wvu.edu for an appointment.
