Fulbright grantee heads to South Korea in 2027

Justin Wlosko comes from a family comes from a family including an educator and language teacher,  encouraging him to learn a second language. His passion for the Korean culture started at an early age and remained through his four years at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

"I was definitely interested in learning the Korean language early on in my life, and I learned it in college," Wlosko said. "I thought a great way to become more fluent and more integrated as a member of the Korean society is through a program like Fulbright, where you're a working professional, essentially. It is an immensely incredible opportunity for me not to only become more integrated in that society, but also to further my Korean language skill."

He heads overseas in January 2027, bringing two semesters' worth of teaching English to elementary students with him.

Wlosko, a May graduate from Cumming, Georgia, with a degree in international affairs with an Asian concentration is one of three Fulbright awardees from UNG for 2026-27.

The other two students declined the opportunity to teach English in Taiwan.

Hoping to encourage others to apply during the next Fulbright cycle, Wlosko shared advice given to him when he first began his Fulbright experience.

"The South Korean Fulbright program doesn't want people who have interest in just the culture. They want participants who either have teaching experience or have a plan to further integrate themselves in the South Korean society," Wlosko said. "At the end of the day, you're a representative. You're not just a foreign worker. I preach that because, as someone who failed the first time, I don't believe I took that word of advice very strongly. But now having succeeded, that's something I emphasized a lot the second time around."

UNG was named a top producer of Fulbright students for the ninth consecutive year with four selections for 2025-26. Wlosko is also the latest in a strong pipeline of UNG graduates to teach English in South Korea through Fulbright.

Students interested in Fulbright opportunities can contact UNG's Nationally Competitive Scholarships office at ncs@ung.edu for more information.