UH Hilo linguistics/Japanese studies major Healani Roback awarded Stanford University fellowship in Japan
Healani Roback, graduating this month, credits his undergraduate study abroad in Japan with the language proficiency that led to acceptance into the fellowship program.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
A double major in linguistics and Japanese studies graduating May 16 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is on his way this fall to a prestigious Stanford University fellowship program in Japan, on full scholarship.
Healani Roback, who studied abroad in Japan while an undergraduate at UH Hilo, was recently admitted to the Toshizo Watanabe Fellowship Program of Standford University’s Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC). The fellowship is for students with Japan-focused career goals who seek “deep linguistic and cultural knowledge needed to become leaders in their respective fields,” according to the fellowship’s webpage.
Roback, who credits his UH Hilo study abroad experience with being awarded the fellowship, says his future plans are to work in Japan as a translator; he has yet to decide about attending graduate school following the fellowship program.
Recipients of the IUC fellowship receive a $35,000 full-tuition scholarship to attend the 10-month program. Roback is also the recipient of an almost $5,000 Shoyu Club scholarship and a $5,000 IUC Alumni Fund scholarship to cover expenses.
From Ewa Beach to Hilo to Japan
Roback was raised in Ewa Beach on Oʻahu and graduated from James Campbell High school. He arrived at UH Hilo in 2022. He studied abroad in 2023-2024 at Rikkyo University in Japan, supported by an Audrey S. Furukawa Scholarship.
It’s this scholarship support that laid the foundation for the upcoming fellowship for the budding linguist and translator. He credits the earlier Japan study abroad experience with opening his eyes to the expanse of the world.
“Studying abroad has given me insight into just how big the world really is, and that has influenced me to want to try to make bigger contributions to it,” he says.
He says the most surprising thing during his study abroad experience was seeing just how many people there were in Japan. “I studied in Tokyo so the population was quite dense,” he says. “It makes you think about how small you really are, but it’s also in a way inspiring.”
He says he felt profound meaning in his time spent in language learning classes at Rikkyo University; the classes were difficult, “but I had a lot of fun in them,” he says.
“I feel that my study abroad experience has helped me get to a level of language that got me accepted into the (fellowship) program,” he adds. “The university that I went to is prestigious, like many of the available options for Japan at UH Hilo, and famous for its contributions to the field of translation, I think this played a role in getting accepted into the (IUC) program.”
Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
