Can you give me advice for how to renegotiate my lease?

My lease ends the end of July. I did not renew it because I took a gamble that I would receive a grant to go abroad next year, and I did. My grant permits me to begin my yearlong research trip abroad at the beginning of September. It would be incredibly helpful for me if I could extend my lease until the end of August—this would mean that I would not have to move out and find a place to stay for a month, while also putting most of my worldly goods in storage and preparing to spend a year abroad (which sounds like a logistical nightmare!).

Problem is, all the documentation I’ve received about my lease explicitly states that they do not do month-to-month renewals. The apartment complex is owned by a company in another state, and I have no relationship with any of the management in the office here. One of my friends, who has studied lease law, told me that leases are often more negotiable than they appear on paper, and encouraged me to go talk to the management. He also said that it would make the deal more likely to work if I offer to pay the month’s rent up-front, which I will be able to do.

Do you have any advice for how I should approach this situation with a member of the management? Many thanks in advance. This is the first apartment I’ve lived in on my own and so I’ve not had to navigate these things before.