Ever dream of spending ten months in Japan? The Iowa Sister States program is offering a scholarship to send an Iowa college student to school in Iowa’s Japanese sister state at Yamanashi Prefectural University in the city of Kofu.
Kim Heidemann, deputy director of Iowa Sister States, explains some of the requirements. Heidemann says the applicant must be a U.S. citizen between the ages of 20 and 39 and currently be enrolled as a college student, either in a college, university or community college. She says it’s also helpful to have some knowledge of the Japanese language. The scholarship is available to any Iowa resident or Iowan attending college outside of Iowa.
Heidemann says this is the 16th year for Iowa’s "Study Abroad Japan" program. She says it offers the student a great perspective on life in that island nation. Heidemann says: "They get to not just stay there for a month or so to study abroad but they’re actually living there. It’s a total emersion program. They get to eat with other students, travel, shop, do all of those things they’d normally do here but they get the fantastic experience of doing it there."
The scholarship will cover the period from June of 2008 to March of 2009 and it covers entrance and tuition fees, lodging and tuition costs. Heidemann says the student is asked to pay for airfare, meals and some incidentals, though a grant is also being offered.
The deadline to apply is January 31. For details, contact Heidemann at (515) 242-4915 or via email at "[email protected]". Iowa also has sister states in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine; Hebei Province, China; Stavropol Krai, Russia; Terengganu, Malaysia; Yucatan, Mexico; Taiwan; and Veneto Region, Italy.