SL Scholarship Testimonials 2023
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Experience to the fullest that can only done now
ID24 Mayumi OKUDA
Silliman University, Philippines
I applied for the Service-Learning Scholarship because my family circumstances made it difficult for me to pay for the International Service-Learning program on my own.
In fact, I had initially given up on applying for the Service-Learning Scholarship and the International Service-Learning Program. I thought that there was no way I could get it, and that it would be better to give it to another student taking into account my grade. However, I strongly felt that there were things I could do and "wanted to do" because of this free time I had as a university student. That is why I applied for Service-Learning Program and its scholarship because I strongly wanted to experience to the fullest extent what I could only do "now," absorb the knowledge to the fullest extent, and become a person who can contribute to society in the future.
I participated in the program of Silliman University in the Philippines and engaged in one-month activities at a shelter for women who had experienced abuse and other hardships and a village for low-income families who had lost their homes in a typhoon. There, I was able to learn about the realities of developing countries that I could not experience in Japan, as well as the government system to guarantee the safety of children, which does not exist in Japan. In the future, I would like to use this knowledge to conduct activities to protect children and support victims of crimes.
Achieve learning for my research
ID26 Miko KUZE
Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace
RECNA, Nagasaki University
I am Miko Kuze, a sophomore student in the College of Liberal Arts, and during this summer recess, I went to Nagasaki for service-learning program with the support of Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace and Nagasaki University RECNA. I am interested in museums and exhibits because of my curatorial degree in addition to my interest in international relations, so this was the perfect place to study my field. I also wanted to take advantage of the service-learning opportunity to both serve and learn, and to deepen and broaden my interests. In applying for participation, I found the Service-Learning Scholarship. I am able to attend ICU, a private university, despite the financial difficulties of having many siblings. I was concerned about the cost of traveling to Nagasaki, far from Tokyo, to study even during the summer recess. However, with the support of the Service-Learning Scholarship, I was able to study for my own research. I am very grateful for the support I received for my studies, which mainly covered travel, lodging, and transportation expenses to and from the service site.
Reconstruction of values
ID25 Momoko MORI
Union Christian College, India
Hello, my name is Momoko Mori, a third-year undergraduate student. I have been given the opportunity to study in Kerala, India through a scholarship program. My major is Philosophy and Religious Studies, and I am interested in the connection between various religions and the world, mainly Christianity. I applied for the scholarship program because of my family's poor health. I was able to see how the knowledge I learned through lectures at the ICU looks like in reality. There are inevitably limitations in learning through lectures and books, and I had not been able to realize the relationship between religion and other studies, but I was able to understand this during my stay in India. Through this opportunity, I was able to see the connection between religion and politics, and I would like to delve deeper into the field of political theology for my graduation thesis. I also experienced service-learning in Japan last year, and the two service activities in total led me through the process of breaking down and reconstructing the value that I originally had.
Given the opportunity to grow
ID26 Mona TOMINAGA
Petra Christian University, Indonesia
Plans to double major in Education and Development Studies Major, currently enrolled in English Teaching!
I heard about the SL Scholarship from a senior and was given the opportunity to participate and grow in SL, which I had been turned down to participate in!
Never give up on what you want to do
ID26 Natsu KIMURA
Chardjou Farm, Fukushima
Through the service-learning program, I experienced environmentally friendly farming and living at Chardjou Farm and Dana Village, an eco-village located in Nishiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where I felt a great cycle in the fields, nature, and eco-village. At Dana Village, I was able to connect with volunteers of different ages and nationalities from all over the world, and through meeting and living with people of different professions and ages, working together, cooking together, and enjoying nature, I was able to feel a connection with people that is not possible in the city. I was able to learn things that I could not have learned only through classroom learning at a university, and it was a valuable experience for me.
I was worried and anxious about whether I would be able to really start my service activities this time, because I had decided on the activity sites by myself and had to handle many necessary procedures and correspondence by myself. In such a situation, I was able to wipe away my financial worries, which helped me to have emotional leeway and to work hard in my activities. When deciding where to work, I was able to prioritize what I wanted to do without giving up what I wanted to do or narrowing my choices due to financial problems.
