Growing up in Yakima and working on his uncle’s fruit farm, Logan Gamache did not think that he would one day travel to Cape Town, South Africa. Logan said, “I definitely would not have the opportunity to go without Shoreline.”

This summer, Logan, along with other students and faculty from Shoreline, will do just that. They will study issues of social justice, equity, and communications, as well as learning about local history and culture. He is able to do this thanks to a $2,500 scholarship he received to help pay for the program.

Logan attended an information session on the program with Dr. Ernest Johnson, who is leading the South Africa program along with Dr. Elena Esquibel. At the session, Dr. Johnson shared a list of scholarships for studying abroad. Logan found out that, because he receives a Pell Grant, he was eligible to apply for the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which awards scholarships of up to $5,000 to help students pay for study abroad programs.

After writing a couple of essays and a few months of waiting, Logan was notified that he would be receiving a $2,500 scholarship. He was the only student from a two-year college in Washington State to receive funding from the Gilman Scholarship for this application cycle.

So far, Logan has only traveled to Canada and Mexico. The farthest he’s ever flown is from Florida to Washington, which takes less than six hours. To get to Cape Town, he’ll be taking two back-to-back flights of more than ten hours each. He’s excited to explore a place so far away and so different from home.

Aside from the academic portion of the program, which Logan believes will be useful in the travel and tech industries he hopes to work in, he is looking forward to climbing the iconic Table Mountain and seeing breathtaking views of Cape Town.

As a player on Shoreline’s men’s soccer team, he will unfortunately have to miss a significant part of next year’s season, but this study abroad program funded almost entirely by scholarships is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” according to Logan, and couldn’t be passed up.

Since 2012, sixteen Shoreline students have received the Gilman Scholarship. In recent years, even though this is a very prestigious scholarship, about 50% of Shoreline students who have applied have received funding. If you or someone you know wants to learn more about studying abroad and scholarships, contact Cory Anthony in the International Education department at canthony@shoreline.edu or stop by his office in PUB 9302.