Colorado State University Student Receives Funding for Japanese Study Abroad Experience

A Colorado State University English major has been awarded a Bridging Scholarship by the Association of Teachers of Japanese. A stipend of $2,500 will help Katherine Millican study at Yamagata University in the spring of 2010.

“I wanted to study in Japan to research the culture from a closer perspective because I have always been interested in representations of Japan constructed in popular culture like anime and manga,” said Millican. “The way in which Japanese people see themselves and their relationship with the outside world is extremely fascinating to me, and I believe that I will understand much more by directly interacting with Japanese society.”

Millican has been studying Japanese for two years and her study abroad experience will be her first trip to Japan.

To become a Bridging Scholarship candidate, students must be United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate programs at a college or university in the U.S. Students of any academic field are eligible to apply, as applicants are not required to be fluent in Japanese to receive funding.

The Association of Teacher of Japanese grants 100 scholarships annually to students who wish to participate in study abroad programs at Japanese universities. Private donors and major U.S. corporations bestow the funds to provide $2,500 for students in semester-long programs or $4,000 for students who will participate in academic year programs. For the spring 2010 semester the Boulder chapter of the association granted 18 scholarships from 225 applications.

For more information on the Bridging Scholarship, visit http://www.aatj.org/atj/studyabroad/scholarships.html.

-30-