Jude Cutler, a senior at E.J. King Middle High School on Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, volunteers at a local rice harvesting event in 2025. (Shana Cutler)
When representatives of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation told students at a national Boys and Girls Club conference that only a fraction of applicants would receive its prestigious $20,000 scholarship, E.J. King Middle High School wrestler Jude Cutler saw a challenge.
“They explain that over 100,000 people apply every year and that only 0.14% get in, or something like that,” Cutler, a senior at the school on Sasebo Naval Base in southern Japan, said in an April 30 video interview. “I’m kind of a competitive person, so I’m like, this sounds awesome.”
This spring, Cutler became one of just 150 students selected to receive the scholarship from more than 107,000 applicants nationwide. He is the first Department of Defense Education Activity student to earn the award since 2018 and the first from the Pacific region in more than a decade, an unnamed spokesperson for the scholars foundation said by email May 27.
Jude Cutler, a senior at E.J. King Middle High School on Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, has earned a prestigious $20,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Foundation. (Shana Cutler)
Cutler said he carried the idea with him for years after first hearing about the scholarship during a Boys and Girls Clubs of America national conference before finally applying.
An unexpected setback may have helped.
A standout wrestler, Cutler suffered a spiral fracture of his tibia during his third match of the season, ending his year on the mat.
“He was in a cast for probably four and a half months,” his mother and wrestling coach, Shana Cutler, said on a May 5 video call. “So, rather than him being a superstar wrestler all year long, he was able to really focus on scholarship applications and college applications.”
The application required essays, transcripts and recommendations. One came from Tony Rubino, a longtime adviser to the S-Town Keystone Club, where Cutler served as president and organized projects with the local Japanese community.
Rubino’s four-page recommendation highlighted Cutler’s leadership, volunteer work and rigorous academic schedule, including 19 Advanced Placement courses.
“I was really nervous when I submitted his,” Rubino said in a May 6 video interview.
The award places Cutler among a select group. Since the scholarship program began in 1986, only eight DODEA students have received it, the scholars foundation spokesperson said.
Cutler plans to study mathematics and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley in the fall.
Still, the achievement has been bittersweet for Cutler’s family. He said his father is deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and was unable to watch the scholarship banquet because of limited internet access at sea.
The ship is supporting operations in the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, according to recent U.S. Central Command posts on X.
“Seeing him be sad and seeing my kid be sad that they’re missing this — this part of military life really, really stings,” his mother said.
