Cumming student wins scholarship for study abroad in Japan

A Cumming student won a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in Japan, placing a Forsyth County student inside a federal program built to open overseas study to undergraduates with financial need. The award can provide up to $5,000 and is part of a pipeline that has sent American students abroad in more than 170 countries since 2001.

The Gilman program is run by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Official guidance says applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, enrolled in good standing at an accredited two- or four-year institution, and receiving or expecting a Pell Grant during the study-abroad term; the application is filed online, and both a study abroad advisor and a financial aid certifying advisor must approve it before it is considered. The March 2026 application cycle closed March 5 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, and the next cycle opens in mid-August 2026.

In Forsyth County, the stakes are easy to see. Forsyth County Schools says it serves more than 54,000 students across 42 schools, with students from 129 countries speaking 69 languages. A scholarship like Gilman gives a local student a way to build language skills, cultural knowledge and professional networks without letting cost decide the outcome first.

The county has already seen that pathway before. Patch reported in 2021 that Justin Wlosko, then a sophomore from Cumming at the University of North Georgia, was selected for a Gilman Scholarship; UNG later identified him as a North Forsyth High School graduate studying international relations with a Korean minor. UNG fellowships adviser Dr. Kathryn Quinto has described the award as a chance for “a life-changing experience,” underscoring how much the process depends on strong campus advising and a competitive application.

For the unnamed Cumming student, the scholarship does more than fund a trip. It puts a Forsyth County student on an international stage and shows other local undergraduates that the route to study abroad runs through financial-aid eligibility, advisor sign-offs and deadlines that reward planning as much as ambition.