2019 Scholarship Recipients
We are pleased to announce some of our YFU USA Scholarship winners! Get to know these inspiring and motivated students below.
YFU USA
2019 Scholarship and Financial Aid Recipients
We are pleased to announce our 2019 scholarship and financial aid winners, made possible through the generosity of our individual, governmental and corporate donors! Get to know some these inspiring and motivated students below. For the complete list of scholarship recipients, please click here.
Oluwaseyori “Yori” Adagunodo - Thailand summer program, YFU Financial Aid.
“After graduating medical school, I plan on working at Johns Hopkins for a while and then leaving the U.S. to work outside. I would love to work in Nigeria because the number one killer is heart disease so I want to use my knowledge to improve the health of my origin nation. Traveling to a different country would help me see cultures from a different standpoint and acquire knowledge. This allows me to break away from cultural sensitivity and test my abilities to adapt to diversity while expanding my horizons.”
Nathan Anderson - Germany summer program, Epson, Inc. Scholarship.
“I am fascinated in learning about other cultures and meeting people different from me. I am an open minded person and feel that being part of this exchange helps me learn about similarities and differences and share what I learned about the experience with others. I believe that learning from other cultures helps us all become more understanding and appreciative of the differences.”
Gabriella Bunyenyeyzi-Gray - Japan summer program, Japan-America Friendship Scholarship.
“The reason I want to go to Japan is that I want to learn how to be independent, learn how to make decisions in a different environment, and make new relationships. I want to see a different world through my own eyes, which would be a more life-changing opportunity than reading from a book and simply imagining myself in it.”
Gregory Burnet - Japan summer program, Mitsubishi Electric Scholarship.
“I look forward to learning about a new culture and bringing these experiences back home to share with others. Time in another country will help me grow and appreciate our world. I will learn a lot about Japan and even more about myself.”
Valerie Raquel Chanthaluxay - Japan summer program, Japan-America Friendship Scholarship.
“…going abroad to Japan could not be more exciting as I am able to experience an entirely different culture than the one I am accustomed to. Inversely, I will be able to show aspects of my culture that differentiate from that of Japan's, and give students the opportunity to practice English as I practice my Japanese with them.”
Jaleia Corbin - Italy year program, YFU Financial Aid.
“Without the YFU Financial Aid Fund and its donors, I would not be able to reach my maximum potential as a student and a leader. Being an exchange student does not end after you return home. It lasts a lifetime as you continue to be a leader within your school and community. As I walk alongside YFU during my junior year abroad in Italy, I will continue to be forever grateful for the support of the YFU Financial Aid Fund that has gotten me thus far.”
Kaylee Delacruz - Greece summer program, YFU Financial Aid Recipient.
“Now that I have the opportunity to see all the stuff in person I had studied about in school, it fascinates me and I am beyond thankful.”
Amanda Elorrieta - Japan summer program, Kikkoman/FCCLA Scholarship.
“So far, I have been really limited in my opportunities to learn about different cultures and nationalities. My goal is to become a doctor, and traveling to other parts of the world helps me to learn how other people live and learn about their customs. These are important things to learn and understand to provide care for others and to appreciate their circumstances.”
Megan Hsieh - Japan summer program, Japan-America Friendship Scholarship.
“I have always had an interest in Japan’s beautiful culture. Whether it is the countryside or cities, they are both amazingly gorgeous. So having the opportunity to travel to Japan over the summer excites me. As an exchange student, I will be able to improve my Japanese which will be very helpful for my education. This will also give me a chance to understand the culture better than I do now.”
Sarah Markoff - Japan summer program, Japan America Friendship Scholarship.
“I live in an enclosed community where I don't have much access to how the world is outside the bounds of my city. I think living abroad will help give me a new perspective and allow me to see challenges in my life in a way I have not before.”
Syed Mohsin - Japan summer program, Japan America Friendship Scholarship.
“I hope I can learn to be more aware of the nuances of a different culture and help me overcome a fear of the unknown. I want to experience a different country and get to understand their way of life and traditions. I hope it can help me grow as a student and as a person.”
Nevaeh Gomez - Korea summer program, YFU Financial Aid.
“I want to develop a better sense of Korean and the South Korean culture. I hope I run into culture shocks so I can take a step back and learn from them. I am hoping to develop an even stronger work ethic through my intense study of language and see how a fast paced country like Korea stays functioning so well.”
Manjistha Lakhotia - Germany year program, Congress-Bundestag Scholarship.
“I hope to learn to speak a new language, make new friends, learn to cook different food, and come back more aware of similarities that binds us all. I want to see the world from the perspective of another--to break out of the mold of opinions that the media persuades us to believe. I want to see the issues in my country from other eyes, to see what are the concerns internationally.”
Trevor Mathewson - Japan summer program, Japan America Friendship Scholarship.
“It was learning about the unique and incredible culture of Japan that created my wish to live and be immersed in this culture, not only because I wanted to experience it for myself, but because I want to understand it better and learn more about it.”
Luisa Ritter Vazquez - Japan spring semester, YFU Legacy Scholarship.
“…experiencing a different culture, becoming part of another family and meeting many new friends will be a life-changing experience for me. I hope to get a much deeper understanding of other cultures and with this of myself.”
Jake Haroutunian - Germany year program, YFU Legacy Grant.
“One of my biggest motivations to go on exchange is the different culture. I am excited to embrace the German culture and see how different it is compared to American culture.”
Justin Lee - Japan summer program, Sony Corporation of America Scholarship.
“In Japanese class, I was taught that everyone in Japan is very respectful especially to the environment and I really want to see that for myself. Another new experience that I'm looking forward to seeing are kawaii mascots. I love the idea of giving kawaii mascots to places such as police departments to make them seem friendlier.”
Johan-Marc Miango - Japan summer program, Japan America Friendship Scholarship.
“I really hope that I can find out who I truly am on this trip…I want to go out into the world far away from everything I know in order to experience life in a new way. Through that, I wish to find out my identity.”
Fernando Urteaga - Spain summer program, Epson America Scholarship.
“I will bring curiosity, a respectful attitude, an open mind for all new things, and a positive attitude. I will be curious about everything around me. Without being annoying, I will ask questions about everything and try to learn what everything is and how things work or are used for…Along with being curious comes having an open mind, I want to try everything and anything.”
Atticus Henry - Germany year program, Congress-Bundestag Scholarship.
“I hope that at the end of my exchange year, I will be more resilient, understanding, and global-minded. Through the experiences of a year abroad, I hope that I will further learn to put myself outside of my comfort zone.”
Ashley Lowry - Japan summer program, Mitsubishi Electric Scholarship.
“I hope the exchange will help me become more culturally aware and knowledgeable of other cultures and traditions that I may not be familiar with.”
Jerome Midthune - Germany year program, Alex Voigt Memorial Scholarship.
“I also want to bring a lot to my hosts. I hope I get to bring something to the Host Family whether they haven’t talked to an American before or they’ve already hosted many students. I don’t want to just focus on my experience, so I will do my best to add to their experience as hosts.”