Five UH Hilo students awarded scholarships to study abroad
From Japan to England to Korea, five UH Hilo students — majoring in business, Japanese studies, linguistics, English — expand their horizons studying abroad this academic year.
By Susan Enright.
Five University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students are recipients of various scholarships to study abroad this academic year, announced the university’s Center for Global Education and Exchange.
“Study abroad fosters the development of students’ global perspective and helps develop critical workforce skills such as intercultural communication skills and second-language ability,” according to the center’s website. Another big benefit of the program is that UH Hilo students pay UH Hilo tuition when they are abroad.
Furukawa and McVickar scholarships
Two of the students who started their study abroad this semester are business administration majors from the College of Business and Economics.
Kyson Kaneko (see selfie above) was awarded the Audrey S. Furukawa Scholarship in the amount of $1,0000. He is attending Tokyo Gakugei University in Japan for the academic year.
“Studying abroad has made me realize that adventure is the best way to learn, both about a new culture and myself,” says Kaneko.
Leiya Margareth Torrano was awarded the Gertrude E. McVickar Study Abroad Scholarship and the John and Anja McVickar Study Abroad Scholarship totaling $2,000. She is attending University of Birmingham in England this semester.
“I have developed many ideas of how I would want to contribute to the community using the knowledge I have gained during my study abroad experience,” she says.
“I have learned how culture is gravely a part of our identity and how it correlates to different aspects of health. I hope that when I return to Hawaiʻi, I will be able to present my findings to young aspiring healthcare students on how important it is to learn about different cultures in hopes it will motivate them to think about study abroad.”
Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship
Three of the students are recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. All Gilman scholars are participating in year-long exchange programs.
Brooklyn Geiger, a Japanese studies major attending Nanzan University in Japan, was awarded $3,500.
“Studying abroad has opened a pathway to various experiences and elevated my understanding of various sorts of people in the world as well as my standard of education,” she says. “Going from solely knowing Hawaiʻi standards of living to studying in Japan has opened my mind to not only understanding myself further, but also what career I’d like to have going forward. The Gilman scholarship has also assisted me in traveling to beautiful and culturally significant areas I wouldn’t have gone to without the financial support. Studying abroad is overall a life changing experience.”
Dominic Hilman, a linguistics major attending Hokkaido University in Japan, was awarded $3,500.
“Even though it’s still fairly early on in the experience it has been transformative,” says Hilman. “How I’m writing now is due to the opportunity this scholarship afforded. I feel like I’ve found, am finding, my voice writing and I think one day this will be to the benefit of my community, career, and academic aspirations.”
Whitney Taylor, an English major attending Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea, was awarded $2,500. She also attended Korea University this past summer.
“Studying in South Korea has given me many new friends and memories that I will always cherish,” she says. “Don’t let the fear of traveling hinder you from trying to go someplace new.”
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. Carolina Lam, director of global education, contributed.
