I have also been able to make business connections with an international accounting firm, Deloitte, join a volleyball team with only Japanese people, get a language partner to help me practice Japanese, and become more confident speaking to others -- even if I have the vocabulary of a 5-year-old. Every day, I am doing what "old me" would have deemed impossible. I have been blessed with an opportunity to grow exponentially every day. And none of this would have been possible without scholarships. Thanks to several scholarships, including the Gilman Scholarship, my stay here in Japan is fully funded. As a student from a low-income background, the only way I have been able to have an opportunity like this, or a college education at all, is with the help of others, including scholarships.
I encourage all of you, regardless of your backgrounds, to pursue scholarships to pay for your education, including opportunities like this to study abroad in another country. It still blows my mind that I am sitting here right now, in a Japanese house, in Japan, writing this journal. If you were to tell high-school me that this is where I am right now, I would not have believed it. But here I am, and I want you to know that it is possible to have amazing experiences and opportunities as long as you put your mind and your heart into it. As I continue my journey outside of Tokyo and throughout Japan, I plan to keep learning and growing in all areas of my life. Anything is possible!
ありがとうございます！さようなら。
