Isabel Forster will represent District 6900 and the Rotary Club of Buckhead with the endorsement of Rotarian Catherine Land-Waters. Vivian Elizabeth Cassaniti will represent District 6910 and the Rotary Club of Athens with the endorsement of Rotarian Jane Kidd. Joshua Dean Youmans will represent District 6920 and the Rotary Club of Downtown Statesboro with the endorsement of Rotarian Weikang “Ken” Wang.
Forster attends Oglethorpe University and is majoring in international studies, writing her honors thesis to examine ways Palestinians and Israelis might learn to see one another as neighbors. Proficient in Spanish, she teaches tennis to international students and partakes in humanitarian service as part of the Oglethorpe University A_LAB, Rotaract. OU History Professor Glenn Sharfman described as mature beyond her years and discerning in her conclusions.
“ As a person, Izzy is always smiling, outgoing, and nurturing. She is just a lot of fun to be around,” Sharfman said. “More than once, she was able to help fellow students in my class in one way or another. She has a can-do attitude and wants to help bridge educational, economic, and social gaps between and among disparate groups.”
In Oslo, Forster aspires to understand how these different educational models exist within intercultural communication, economics, and Norwegian politics.
“I first landed on the Rotary and Rotaract clubs through an unconventional route,” she said. “And yet, I can see the intersection of my interdisciplinary interests: humanitarian service, teaching ESL, mentoring GRSP, Rotaract, and international students, researching comparative education, and much more. Spanning three years, I have enhanced these passions by studying near the multicultural cities of Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and London. These experiences and my upbringing in the public, private, research, and independent school systems in three states and two countries have led to my interest in international education and the varying technological, financial, and political challenges facing school systems worldwide.”
Cassaniti majored in political science and philosophy at Georgia College & State University, where she was named valedictorian in 2023. Dr. Harold Mock, is director of leadership programs and assistant professor of history at GCSU, described her as “gifted, intelligent, diplomatic and straightforward.” She has served as a Newman Civic Fellow, one of only two student members of Georgia College’s Research & Public Service. She speaks French and is conversational in Norwegian.
Mock said last year, she completed an excellent public service project on “Bandwidth in the Blackbelt,” gathering data and offering both policy-based and private-sector approaches to increasing broadband access in the rural south, beyond FCC guidelines.
Cassaniti has a passion for service and has volunteered for the past 10 years with a special-needs ministry and an adaptive softball league for special-needs adults. She stated these experiences have ignited a passion to legally advocate for those who may not have the ability to be an advocate for themselves. She hopes to learn how Norwegians care for those with disabilities.
Her career objective is to work in law and public service, with an emphasis on international law and diplomacy.
“My goal in participating in this program is to bring together my personal and academic experience to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace,” Cassaniti said. “I grew up learning about Norwegian food, culture, and language from my Bestemor (Norwegian grandmother). Having lived through Nazi-occupied Norway, my Bestemor taught me all about Norwegian tenacity, perseverance, and spirit. As the first Norwegian flight attendant with an American airline, my Bestemor understood the importance of bringing nations together during times of conflict and peace through humility and respect. Studying in Oslo will enable me to take part in the same intercultural engagement that my Bestemor used to build a better and safer global environment.”
Youmans is an accounting major at Georgia Southern University. He volunteers leading tennis camps, clothing drives through his church, and built an aquaponics system with fish and crops that was designed to be made into sandwiches and provided as free food to hungry students. A teaching assistant at GSU, he strives to serve others, protect the environment and be a good steward of finances.
Wang, a full-time faculty member of Georgia Southern’s College of Business, described Youmans as the best student in his two management classes, scoring the highest grade in all of the three major exams. “I cannot recall any student with such consistency of excellence in my 20 plus years of college teaching,” he said.
Youmans, from Hoboken in south Georgia said he has always wanted to travel but has not had the opportunity.
“This scholarship would allow me to meet a diverse group of new people that I would likely never get to see otherwise,” said Youmans. “It could work well to broaden my mindset and help me understand the way of life for people outside my small town in Georgia. I believe this scholarship would open the opportunity for me to have an experience that would very positively impact me, as well as the people I meet along my journey.”
The scholarship for the six-week summer program from June 24 to August 2 includes air fares from Atlanta to Oslo and the return trip to Atlanta, room, board, 12-credit hours of undergraduate course work, administrative fees at the university plus an outing with a Norwegian Rotary host. The recipients of the scholarship are responsible for personal spending money and transportation to hand from the airport.
In 1956, King Vakkon VII of Norway presented the brass St. Olaf medal for meritorious service to GRSP Founder Will Watt, who was also named Knight First Class of the Finnish Lion by the President of Finland in1960 in recognition for scholarships awarded to Norwegian and Finnish students along with dedication to the ideals of world peace through understanding.