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Freeman Scholarship
I am so thankful to be a Freeman Scholar. I am so honored to say that I am Freeman Scholar from Kapiolani Community College and very appreciative to be able to be accepted into the Freeman Scholarship Program with Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii Manoa. As a non-traditional student, I had my goals and mission set and returning to school was just a step that I had to take to achieve my goals.
I originally planned to just get through school, and graduate as soon as I could. I never planned on studying abroad once, let alone twice. As a student putting themselves through school, I never thought I could afford an opportunity like study abroad. But people like Mr. Graeme Freeman and the Freeman Scholarship provides opportunities for students that might not have the opportunity to study abroad.
As someone that studied abroad, I can honestly say that was one of the best decisions I made in my collegiate career. Not only gave me the experience to get off this rock we call Hawaii but showed me how big the real world is. The way I think and view things have changed entirely and I look forward to how I will grow as both professionally and personally. I look forward to this study abroad, as my plan to make more connections, make friends, learn more about business in Japan and as I learn first hand, about global business.
IBO Passport Fair Scholarship
As said before, I am a non-traditional student (starting school after 7 years). Putting myself through school isn't easy. I was worried about paying for school and didn't even think that I could afford a study abroad experience. But more I talked to students, tried to constantly put myself out there, and explore resources.
At Shidler, there would be fairs and events on campus. Some events would be club recruitment, job fairs, or the passport fair. The passport fair is where clubs would host and educate the other students about a particular country. They also have a stamp card, where if you talk to a specified amount of clubs/countries, then you can submit that card to be eligible to win a scholarship. It was my first semester at the university, so I figured I would try, and explore all the opportunities and resources. Next thing I know, I received an email some months later notifying me that I was awarded one of the two scholarships. So don't be afraid to try, because you never know.
Honjo-Misawa International Fellowship​
Not all scholarships and grants are created equal. Not all of them are easy to find. That is why it is important to network, get advice that people that have already studied abroad or gone through it. I am lucky to have known quite a bit of people that have studied abroad. I also am lucky to talk to the right people as well. If you don't seek answers or solutions, most times they won't be easy to find.
After talking to people with my goals and intentions, I found out that Professor Misawa is a great guy to talk to, take his classes, and learn from. Professor Misawa is a finance professor at the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business. He was born and raised in Japan. He has an impressive resume. From attending Todai University (the best school in Japan), then getting his graduate degree from Harvard, then working on big projects with one of the largest banks in Japan. So once I heard who he was, I had to take his classes. I learned so much and actually, the class was very interesting. I am a very hands-on and logical thinker, so when we work on real companies and cases that actually happened, I really find it fascinating. One of the most interesting cases we talked about was a small company and a place called Tokyo Disney. We also talked about international business, and how they make money with arbitrage and off the currency exchange.
Then I learned that he is in charge of a fellowship. The company that is famous for their bottled teas(Ito-en) entrust and works with Professor Misawa to provide this scholarship to students that are attending some of the top universities in Japan. It is fairly competitive because there are only four to six students chosen a year. I am very lucky to be selected for this prestigious scholarship and to also be attending one of Japan's ivy league schools.
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