June 22, 2023

Second FGC Student Awarded Study Abroad Scholarship for Summer 2023

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LAKE CITY, Fla. – Florida Gateway College student Jordan Gore has been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State for $3,000. He is the second FGC student to receive the scholarship and will travel with the FGC Study Abroad Program to the United Kingdom this summer. Participants will depart for the U.K. this Sunday, June 25.

Jordan, a member of the FGC Esports team and a Digital Design student, applied for the scholarship this Spring. The process included submitting three essays detailing what he hopes to gain from studying abroad, how he will use the experience to give back to his community, and how he will help promote the scholarship to other students who could benefit in the future.

“I’m very excited,” said Gore. “I’m definitely nervous about it. It’s my first trip outside of the States, my first airplane ride, but I know it’s going to be a good growth opportunity. Without the scholarship, it would be far more unlikely that I would be able to go, so being able to use those funds to cover a good amount of the cost is massive.”

FGC student Cade Mesnard was awarded the Gilman Scholarship in the Fall 2022 application period and will also participate in the Summer 2023 program. Twelve students will travel to the U.K. to spend two weeks living and studying at Harlaxton College, located in a Victorian manor on a 300-acre country estate, before spending an additional week in London, making multiple program excursions.

Dr. Michael Baker, FGC professor and program leader, hopes that Gore’s and Mesnard’s awards of $3,000 and $4,000 will be a sign to other interested students that travel abroad is not outside their reach.

“We’re a very rural area,” said Baker, “and when a lot of students hear ‘study abroad,’ they almost immediately dismiss it. So, this past year, to have a winner in the fall round and another winner in the spring round, I think this will make it a lot more obvious to students that you can do this.”

The U.S. Department of State sees the scholarship funds as an investment in the future of foreign relations and considers students “citizen diplomats” from the U.S. to the host country. The scholarship prioritizes applicants historically underrepresented in study abroad, including first-generation college students, minority students, and those attending community colleges, criteria that apply to many FGC students.

The Gilman Scholarship offers up to $5,000. With this year’s FGC program totaling $5,300, students who apply could have nearly the entire cost covered by the award. Any student receiving a Pell Grant is eligible to apply. Students can learn more about the scholarship and FGC Study Abroad at www.www.fgc.edu/studyabroad and by contacting 2024 program leader, Professor Lisa Co, at study.abroad@fgc.edu.