SUNY Oswego student Troy Feldman to study in South Korea on Gilman Scholarship

2014 Dec 15

Troy Feldman, a sophomore at SUNY Oswego, will travel to South Korea in February to study for a semester at Seoul National University under a prestigious program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Feldman, of Medford on Long Island, is one of 800 American undergraduate students from 356 colleges across the United States selected to receive a spring 2015 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education.

"I always knew I wanted to study abroad," said Feldman, who is majoring in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). "I want to teach in South Korea after I graduate," he said.

Feldman lives on campus this year in Hart Global Living and Learning Center, where his roommate is from Seoul. He said he is looking forward to the prospect of meeting his roommate's family and studying at what is one of the top universities in South Korea. Most of his classes will be conducted in English, he said, but he will take a course to learn Korean as well.

Gilman Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages and economies -- making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector. The scholarship program was established in 2001 and has nearly 17,000 alumni.

Oswego has had four previous winners of Gilman Scholarships, studying in Japan, Egypt and New Zealand, said Joshua McKeown, director of international education and programs at SUNY Oswego.

Part of the Institute of International Education's Generation Study Abroad initiative, SUNY Oswego has a goal of increasing the percentage of its undergraduates who study abroad from 15 percent to 20 percent.