Thinking of studying in Japan?

On Friday, Oct. 27, 2006, the Japanese language program sponsored an information session about studying abroad in Japan, led by Alex Chwat and other GW students who have already studied in Japan. This meeting allowed students, who are thinking of studying in Japan, to hear their peers talk about their study abroad experiences in places such as Kyoto, Tokyo, and Nagoya--a great opportunity to get the most updated and accurate information about study abroad options.

If you are planning on going to Japan in a few years, don't miss the opportunity next year!

Scholarships and Financial Aid to Study Abroad in Japan

The following are excerpts from the respective programs offering scholarships to those studying in Japan.

Freeman Asia
Freeman-ASIA (Freeman Awards for Study in Asia) is designed to support American undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study overseas in East or Southeast Asia.

In the past, there have been few funding opportunities for study abroad in Asia. However, with the generous support of the Freeman Foundation, the Institute of International Education (IIE) now administers the Freeman-ASIA Awards in order to give more American undergraduate students the means to study in East and Southeast Asia.

Freeman-ASIA Award recipients are expected to share their experiences with their home campuses to encourage study abroad in Asia by others, and to spread greater understanding of Asian peoples and cultures within their home communities. Since the launch of the program in 2000, Freeman-ASIA has supported over 2,500 U.S. undergraduates with their study abroad plans in East and Southeast Asia.

Bridging Scholarships
The Association of Teachers of Japanese Bridging Project offers scholarships to American undergraduate students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan. Funding from private foundations and major U.S. corporations has made it possible for ATJ to award 100 scholarships annually to assist students with the travel and living expenses they will incur while studying abroad in Japan for a semester or an academic year. Contributors to the scholarship fund include Citigroup, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Estee Lauder Group of Companies, The Freeman Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, Morgan Stanley, Nishimoto Trading Co., Shinsei Bank, The Starr Foundation, Teradyne, Toyota Motor Sales USA, and Weyerhaeuser.

Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Japanese language study is not a prerequisite. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be enrolled as undergraduates in a college or university in the United States before and during the time they are studying abroad.

National Cherry Blossom Festival® Goodwill Ambassador Program



Students of the Japanese Program have served as Goodwill Ambassadors for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, including Jocelyn Campanaro, Mario Depeine, Max Brown and Mellissa Blackmon. The following is an excerpt from the National Cherry Blossom Festival homepage.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Goodwill Ambassador Program began in 1994. Since then, over 50 young men and women have served the National Cherry Blossom Festival as a national representative of the event.

The NCBF’s official Goodwill Ambassadors serve as cultural liaisons, representing the festival at various events while promoting the goodwill and friendship between the United States and Japan. These individuals may be engaged in the study of Japanese language and culture and should be concerned with the cultural exchange between the United States and Japan.

Each year since its inception, the Goodwill Ambassador Committee has selected two or more ambassadors depending on the applicants' qualifications. In 1998, the first male Goodwill Ambassador was chosen - Stewart Ueno, a student at Yale University. In 1999, NCBF was able to provide one Goodwill Ambassador a one-year scholarship for study in Japan, valued at $10,000. The 2003 Festival saw by far the greatest diversity to date, with 2 men and 4 women from a wide variety of backgrounds.