June 2009 — Sixty-eight undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the United States have been named recipients of Bridging Scholarships for Study Abroad in Japan.

The winners will receive awards of up to $4,000 to assist with their living expenses while they study in Japan for a semester or an academic year beginning in fall 2009. Since 1999, a total of 940 scholarships have been awarded to students studying abroad in Japan.

Two of the selected students – Mary Horwath and Qiao Rong Huang – have been named recipients of the Temple University – Japan Campus Bridging Scholarships. These recipients will receive partial tuition rebates for their study at Temple University – Japan Campus.

Morgan Stanley Japan has also announced two recipients of its 2009-10 Morgan Stanley Japan Scholarships: Benjamin Han and Diana Prilepsky. These scholarships provide stipends of $7,500 to each recipient.

Lockheed Martin will sponsor five students who are studying engineering, and JP Morgan is sponsoring four students with diverse majors (business, music, graphic design, and chemistry).

The Japan-US Friendship Commission (www.jusfc.gov), an independent federal agency promoting mutual understanding between the United States and Japan, in an effort to highlight public / private partnerships, initiated the Bridging Project scholarship program and established a 501(c)(3) private foundation, the US-Japan Bridging Foundation, to accept contributions.

The goal of the Bridging Project is to promote study abroad in Japan by larger numbers of American undergraduate students.

Contributors to the Fall 2009 scholarship fund include Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, The Freeman Foundation, JCC Fund, JP Morgan, Japan-US Friendship Commission, Lockheed Martin, McDonalds Japan, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Nomura Holdings America, Shinsei Bank, Temple University – Japan Campus, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Mr. Masamoto Yashiro.

The scholarship program is administered by the Association of Teachers of Japanese, a professional organization of educators in Japanese language, literature, and culture.

The Bridging Scholars hail from a variety of schools–public and private, large universities and small colleges. Their majors range from computer science to fine arts, but they share a common interest in Japan, its language and culture. Their destinations also vary, from giant campuses in Tokyo to intimate consortium programs in rural Japan. A list of the Fall 2009 recipients, their home schools, their majors, and their destination programs follows.

Trent ABBOTT (Ohio University) Media arts -> Chubu University
Clinton ANDERSON (Northern Arizona University) Finance -> Kansai University
Kevin BAUER (Minnesota State University, Moorhead) East Asian studies -> Nagoya Gakuin
Kyle BICKEL (University of Southern California)Neuroscience -> Waseda University
Christina BROWN (University of New Mexico)Mechanical engineering -> Ritsumeikan University
   [Lockheed Martin Bridging Scholarship]
Parker BRUMFIELD (Ohio State University) Biochemistry -> Nanzan University
Corey CLAPP (Amherst College)Chemistry -> Associated Kyoto Program
Julia CLARK (Smith College) Japanese -> Associated Kyoto Program
Annica CROUSE (Hobart & William Smith Colleges)Asian languages -> Japan Center for Michigan Universities
Sara DANIELS (Western Michigan University) Global studies -> Daito Bunka University
Nellie DAVIS (Mount Holyoke College) Asian studies -> Associated Kyoto Program
Stefanie DEHART (Kalamazoo College)Theatre arts -> Japan Center for Michigan Universities
Nicole DELVOYE (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) Criminal justice -> Nanzan University
Michael DERIENZO (Nebraska Wesleyan University) Accounting -> Kwansei Gakuin
Justin DOGGETT (University of Delaware) Civil engineering -> Seinan Gakuin
   [Lockheed Martin Bridging Scholarship]
Amy DONIN (Clark University)Sociology -> Kansai Gaidai
Ginel ELDRIDGE (University of Wisconsin, Madison)Japanese education -> Keio University
Alexa ETCHART (Carroll College) Performing arts -> Kumamoto Gakuin
Lance EVERHART (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) Computer science -> Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
   [Lockheed Martin Bridging Scholarship]
Patrick FRASER (Unversity of Memphis) History & Japanese-> Nagoya Gakuin
Matthew FURDA (Oberlin College) International business -> Nanzan University
James GERIENCHEN (Duke University)History -> Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
John GIFFORD (University of South Florida) International business -> Kansai Gaidai
   [JP Morgan Bridging Scholarship]
Alex GREEN (Oakland University) Biology & international relations -> Japan Center for Michigan Universities
Kathleen GULINO (Ohio University) Philosophy & psychology -> Ryukoku University (Antioch Buddhist Studies)
Darren HAMILTON (University of Georgia) International affairs -> Sophia University
** Benjamin HAN (University of California, Irvine) Political science -> Sophia University
   (Morgan Stanley Japan Scholarship)
* Mary HORWATH (University of Dayton) Biology -> Temple University – Japan Campus
   (*Temple University – Japan Campus Bridging Scholarship)
* Qiao Rong HUANG (Lafayette College) Mathematics & economics -> Temple University – Japan Campus
   (*Temple University – Japan Campus Bridging Scholarship)
Roumen IORDANOV (Wake Forest University) Mathematics -> Kansai Gaidai
Stephanie KLAPPER (St. Mary’s College of Maryland) Psychology -> Akita International University
Jonathan LANNING (Willamette University) Mathematics -> Tokyo International University
Samuel LAWTON (Oberlin College) Computer science -> Associated Kyoto Program
Cameron LICHTENSTEIN (University of California, Irvine) International studies & business -> Sophia University
Cecelia LISINSKI (Wittenberg University) East Asian studies -> Nanzan University (IES)
Eric MARSH (Drake University) Pharmacy & international relations -> Kwansei Gakuin
Joelle METCALFE (University of Pittsburgh) Japanese & international relations -> Ritsumeikan University
Sarah MORELAND (Ball State University) Journalism -> Sapporo University
Alexander MOSHER (Weber State University) Integrated studies -> Kansai Gaidai
Keren MOTONAGA (University of Hawaii, Hilo) Japanese studies & linguistics -> Josai International University
Amanda MUNDT (University of Montana) Japanese -> Toyo University
Adrian Brian MUNGUIA (Southern Oregon University) Music -> Aoyama Gakuin
    [JP Morgan Bridging Scholarship]
Oyindamola OLUWATIMI (Norfolk State University)Computer science -> Lakeland College Japan
Yong Ping Judy PAN (University of California, Santa Cruz) Global economics -> Tsuru University
Marie PAPPAS (University of Pittsburgh) Japanese & political science -> Kitakyushu University
Leslie PLATZ (University of California, Irvine) Japanese -> International Christian University
Melody POLAND (University of Maryland) Japanese literature -> Chiba University
** Diana PRILEPSKY (American University) International relations -> Ritsumeikan University
   (**Morgan Stanley Japan Scholarship)
Emily RATH (University of Louisville) Political science & philosophy-> Kansai Gaidai
Joseph RECHT (Case Western Reserve University) Mechanical engineering -> Waseda University
   [Lockheed Martin Bridging Scholarship]
William REESE (University of Nebraska) English -> Senshu University
Rebecca ROLLINS (University of Missouri, St. Louis) History -> Tokyo Jogakkan College
Jessica ROSA (University of North Carolina, Charlotte) Art -> Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
Joani SCHAFFNER (Wittenberg University) East Asian studies -> International Christian University
Ethan SCHALER (University of Maryland) Mechanical engineering -> Tohoku University
   [Lockheed Martin Bridging Scholarship]
Casey SHIRAY (Miami University of Ohio) East Asian languages -> Kansai Gaidai
Kristin SIVAK (Boston University) Japanese -> Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
Samantha SPENCE (Brandeis University) East Asian studies -> Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies
Theresa STEELE (SUNY New Paltz) Graphic design -> Nagasaki University
   [JP Morgan Bridging Scholarship]
Amanda TOBIN (Oberlin College) Art history -> Kansai Gaidai
Rebecca TOMPKINS (Trinity College) Political science -> International Christian University
Nha Khanh TRUONG (University of California, San Diego) Biochemistry -> International Christian University
Conner VAIL (University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire)Pre-secondary English education -> Kansai Gaidai
Khoa VU (University of California, San Diego) Pharmacological chemistry -> Tsuru University
   [JP Morgan Bridging Scholarship]
Lacey WILLIAMS (Hope College) Japanese -> Meiji Gakuin
Robert WOOD (University of Oregon) English -> Akita International University
Alan YANG (University of California, Berkeley) Asian studies -> Hitotsubashi University