Meade, a double major in Computer and Information Technology and Japanese, wants to eventually work in video game design and translation. She expects that her time in Japan will give her an advantage over others in the field who won’t have the same in-country cultural and language experience that she will. Once she returns to Marshall, she hopes to work with incoming freshmen to encourage them to also study abroad. “There is no doubt in my mind that going abroad is going to be one of the most stressful experiences that I will ever willingly put myself through, but that stress will help me grow,” she said. “I want to tell them how I coped, and how they could cope. They shouldn’t let fear hold them back.”
Oney, who is majoring in International Business and Japanese, is also interested in working in the video game industry. She’s planning on taking several business and Japanese courses while at Kansai, and hopes to explore the business world of Japan in hopes to better integrate it into the American economy. She believes her time in Japan will make her more competitive in the employment market. “This will help me promote myself to business leaders who want students that have had global experiences,” she said. “This is my chance to progress myself further to reaching my goal of achieving success in Japan.” She is a member of the Japan Club and the Sado Club here at Marshall, and is also the president of the International Business Outreach Program, which works to increase the number of international students interning for American companies.
Freeman-ASIA offers scholarships of up to $7,000 for study abroad expenses, including travel, living costs, tuition, books, etc. The scholarship is open to students who are U.S. citizens with a 2.8 GPA or higher who can demonstrate need for financial assistance in a proposed study abroad program in one of fifteen Asian countries. Winners are selected by quality of the essays and an interest in East or Southeast Asian Studies.
Meade and Oney both worked with Marshall’s Office of National Scholarships on their applications. For more information on the Freeman-ASIA scholarship, visit https://www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asia or contact Mallory Carpenter at the Office of National Scholarships at 304-696-2475 or Mallory.carpenter@marshall.edu.
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Photos: McKayla Meade (left) and Kaylee Oney will attend Kansai Gaidai University in Japan beginning this fall as winners of Freeman-ASIA scholarships.