April 25, 2025
A prestigious award sets up a future career
JCCC graduate William Bennett is ready to take his education across the globe.
William is the recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. This competitive, merit-based scholarship is awarded to students intending to study or intern away.
The goal of the program is to develop future American leaders through advancing professional skills and forming international connections. JCCC frequently ranks highly among two-year institutions for the number of students awarded since the scholarship was founded in 2001.
JCCC is the place to be
After graduating high school, William knew what his next steps would be.
“I struggled a lot in high school, but at the same time I couldn’t see myself continuing to work in the jobs I had been doing,” he said. “I felt like not going to JCCC would be such a missed opportunity, that it would drastically change my future.”
The independence and diverse courses JCCC offered allowed William to find his true calling—studying politics.
“Politics is really just getting to know people and learning from them what they need to succeed,” he said. “I felt like if I had certain beliefs about the world and how it works, I should test those beliefs while using that opportunity to help and understand others.”
Once he was comfortable in his studies, William was eager to get involved on campus.
“I wanted to see what I was missing out on,” he said.
William wasted no time, earning academic distinctions through the Global Awareness Program and the Sustainability Distinction Program, joining the International Club, and serving on the Student Senate, Student Sustainability Committee, and as a Student Ambassador.
Education through diplomacy
As he continued his studies, William knew his ambitions would require a global education.
“I’m American Chinese, meaning that I’ve visited and lived in China while spending most of my time living in America,” he said. “This international upbringing mixed with visiting Cambodia and Thailand fostered a sense of curiosity about the world and my place in it.”
William believes his unique perspective can help bridge different cultures, and ultimately, make the world a better place.
“By studying global cultures and their politics,” he said, “I can better form that bridge and studying away is an integral part.”
JCCC makes your study away dreams a reality
Earning the Gilman Scholarship would be no easy task, given how competitive the application is. William was ready for the challenge, and so were his teachers and study away coordinator.
“Both my English professor, Sam Bell, and my ethics professor, Dennis Arjo, were extremely helpful with their knowledge of writing and Greek antiquity, respectively,” said William. “I’d also like to thank Janette Jasperson, the study away coordinator for Greece, for her guidance through the writing and application process.”
William specifically chose Greece for the value of studying politics in its historical birthplace of Athens. Recalling history, William noted that Aristotle traveled from what is now Turkey to Athens to study in Plato’s Academy.
As he prepares for his expedition to Greece, William hopes to make friends and connections that he could never have imagined making otherwise.
“I hope that I can learn from, and more importantly, listen to the people I meet,” he said.
Set yourself up for success
After he returns from Greece, William will continue his education at the University of Kansas, planning to double major in Political Science and Global and International Studies. Thanks to the Gilman Scholarship, his career is already set in motion.
“I plan to work in the government using the preferential federal hiring program that the Gilman Scholarship offers its alumni,” he said. “Organizations like U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or in the Foreign Service.”
With his future mapped out, William advises incoming JCCC students to find what motivates them.
“Live a life that you believe in,” he said.
Your international education starts here!
JCCC’s Global Engagement office makes an international education accessible to everyone. In addition to numerous study away trips each semester, JCCC’s main campus offers small class sizes, low tuition rates and helpful resources like free tutoring.