JANUARY 2023 – Seventeen undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the United States have been named recipients of Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan. These seventeen scholars combine with the fall recipients to total ninety-six Bridging scholars for the academic year 2022-2023. The winners will receive awards ranging from $2,250 to $2,500 to assist with their expenses while they study in Japan for a semester in Spring 2023. Since 1999, more than two thousand scholarships have been awarded by the US-Japan Bridging Foundation.
The goal of AATJ’s Bridging Project is to promote study abroad in Japan by larger numbers of American undergraduate students. The American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ), which promotes education in Japanese language, literature, and culture, administers the Bridging Scholars scholarship program for the US-Japan Bridging Foundation.
Contributors for the 2022-2023 Scholarships
Contributors for the 2022-2023 scholarships include The Freeman Foundation (lead donor), Aflac International, Inc., AIG Japan Holdings K.K., Amway Japan G.K., Bentall Green Oak, Colt Chaffin, Paul Clawson, Paige Cottingham-Streater, Cultural Exchange LLC, Robin Dahlberg and Ted Maynard, Mark Davidson, Brian and Janie Doyle, Richard Dyck, ExxonMobil, Jean Falvey, Robert Feldman, Angelika Ferguson, Yoshiaki Fujiki, Kristina Gaines, James Gerienchen, Evan Gordon, Green Oak Real Estate; Robert Grondine Memorial Scholarship Fund (Chris Wells, Krishen Mehta); Ellen Hammond, Paul Hastings, Hecht Law PC, Harry Hill, AB Hirschfeld, Jr., Ichigo Asset Management, Ltd., David Janes, Japan Foundation, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, Hirofumi Jinno, Brian Kelly, Jessica Kennett Cork, Dan Klebes, Kathryn R. and Joel Kolmodin, Edward Lincoln, Lockheed Martin Japan, Deanna Marcum, Ginger Marcus, Tom Mason and Qi Wang, Kathy Matsui, Victoria Melendez, Joelle Metcalfe, Joseph Meyer, Mission Value Partners, LLC, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Lara Mones, Morgan Stanley Japan, Samuel Morse and Anne Nishimura, Ekaterina Mozhaeva, MUFG Securities Americas Inc., Satoru and Hiroko Murase, Robert L. Noddin, Oak Lawn Marketing, ORIX Corporation USA, ORIX Stewardship Foundation, Gwynette Paez, T.J. Pempel, Susan J. Pharr, Thierry Porté, Chris Quackenbush, Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd., Roche Family Foundation, Edward Rogers, Samuel Ross, Susan Schmidt, Leonard Schoppa, Frank Seiji Sanda, David Semaya, Paul and Yoshiko Sheard, Bahia Simons-Lane, Sheila A. Smith, David Sneider, Ed Spitzberg, George and Brad Takei, Allison Tolman; Jeremiah Trusty Memorial Scholarship Fund (Morgan and Brendan Aiello, David Albanese, Adam Bamford, Gregory Bamford, Suzanne Basalla, Brian Bawol, Rachel Brown, Jennifer Butler, Serena Cline, Bob Corwin, Donna Ikeda and John Morey, The Eng Family, Charlie Fujikawa, Dana Heatherton, David Hino, Tim Hino, Natasha Huynh, Adam Jan, Helen Jew, Sunil Kasturi, Jillian Kereczman, Allison Knowles, Keith Krulak, Kristi Kuchta, Josh Lawrenz, Kris Lee, Global Film Network Inc., Laura Mabe, Jacob MacIntyre, Damien Magnuson, Dayspring Mattole, Matt Mele, Michelle Mele, Ingrid Merriwether, Nathan Mesko, Brittany Morey, Kei Morita, Andrew Oberland, Courtney Ozaki, Barry Peterson, Jessica Pham, Kelly Pong-Der, Delwin Por, Kenny Rivas, Ann Siqveland, Rachel Steinmeier, Andrea Sugano, Tyler Tokioka, Jason Trimiew, Sarah and Martin Trimiew, Lynne Tsugawa, Joshua Valdivia, Paul Vosti, David T. Walker, Amy Weeden, Andrea Williams, Brenda Wong, Francis Wong, Brent Yoshida, Anthony Yu); Bill Tsutsui, Axel Urie, Emily Williams, Isaac Wittenberg, Ira Wolf Memorial Scholarship Fund (Amy Jackson, Nike, Adam Wolf, Eloise Wolf, Evan Wolf, Jeanne Wolf, Lacy Wolf, Lyla Wolf); Stephanie Wood.
These Bridging Scholars hail from a variety of schools–public and private, large universities and small colleges–in 12 states and Puerto Rico. Their majors range from biochemistry to fine arts, but they share a common interest in Japan, its society, and its language and culture. Their destinations also vary, from giant campuses in Tokyo to small colleges in rural Japan. A list of the recipients, their schools, their destination programs, and their majors follows.
Recipients of Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan Spring 2023
Teala AVERY / Spelman College / Tsuda University / photography; women’s studies
Abigail CAMPBELL / University of Findlay / University of Fukui / TESOL; Japanese
Mario DEPAVIA / Stanford University / Doshisha University / East Asian stuies
Jasmine DOCTOR / University of North Carolina, Greensboro / Nagoya University of Foreign Studies / animation
Miguel GONZALEZ VAZQUEZ / University of Puerto Rico / Toyo University / industrial biotechnology
Teyonda HAMLER / University of Wisconsin, Whitewater / Kansai Gaidai University / Japanese
Jacob JACKSON / University of Denver / Waseda University / biological sciences
Junlong KWAN / Case Western Reserve / Temple University Japan / Japanese studies
Michelle LEE / Baruch College, CUNY / Waseda University / operations management
Annalaye MERCADEL / University of Texas, Austin / Tokyo University of Foreign Studies / international business; Japanese
Susana OLIVO SANDOVAL / University of North Georgia / Nanzan University / East Asian studies; Spanish
Josiel PEREZ / University of California, Riverside / Toyo University / political science
Jace RETTIG / Furman University / Nanzan University / computer science; Asian studies
Arianna RODRIGUEZ / San Francisco State University / Meiji Gakuin University / sociology
Katherine SONGER / University at Albany, SUNY / Tokyo University of Foreign Studies / psychology; East Asian studies
Danielle TAKAHASHI / University of Southern California / Sophia University / media arts & practice
Mina WALKER / University of Denver / Doshisha University / Japanese; ecology & biodiversity
