West Coast

45 SDSU Japanese Language Students Honored at the 25th Annual Award Presentation Reception

Twenty-nine San Diego State University students received scholarships totaling $6,500.00 for outstanding performance in Japanese languages classes from Kyocera International, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Sanyo North American, Union Bank of California, and SDSU Office of International Programs at a ceremony April 16, 2008, at SDSU. Sixteen additional students were recognized for their outstanding achievements by the Japanese Language Program. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Language Scholarship Program and the Kyocera Japanese Scholarship. When Professor Yoshiko Higurashi joined the faculty of SDSU as the 14th person in charge of the Japanese language program in the fall of 1983, she reached out to the community, introduced herself, promised that she would stay to expand the program, and solicited support. Kyocera was the first company to respond with generosity. They sent a check in the amount of $500. With this generous support, Higurashi decided to start a scholarship program for her students. In order to gratefully recognize Kyocera International for its 25 years of generosity and invaluable support of the Japanese Language Program, SDSU President Stephen L. Weber presented a plaque to Mr. Rodney N. Lanthorne, the president of Kyocera International. The winner of the 25th Annual Kyocera Japanese Scholarship ($1,500.00) was Paul Tarpey, Japanese and Linguistics major. Tarpey said he has realized that learning a foreign language means learning his own language. The study of Japanese language and culture has been a tremendous help in analyzing the structure of English and American cultural norms. He has also found that it is fun to write an essay in Japanese. In his opinion, kanji characters are an excellent tool for expression and sophisticated nuances. There are many Americans who go abroad to teach English. Tarpey believes that it is critically important for them to learn the language and culture of the country in which they teach and to show respect. However, not everyone does that. Higurashi is certain that he will make an excellent English instructor.

The winners of the 22st Annual Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Japanese Scholarship for Accounting Majors, Category III, were Steven Ginn and Yolanda Inchauregui, both international business majors. This scholarship ($1,000 was originally intended for an accounting major). Since there were no accounting majors taking Japanese, the opportunity was extended to those students who had completed two elementary-level accounting courses. At this level (Category III), the recipients were honored with scholarships of $250 each. The representative from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Los Angeles was Mr. Koichi Uchiyama, Deputy Leader-Americas Cluster, Japanese Services Group.

Steven is in the second-year Japanese course. He said the basic study of accounting has helped him to better understand numbers and money. This is of particular importance to him because he has been working at a Japanese restaurant in Del Mar. He is certain that the knowledge of accounting has provided him with many useful tools that will not only help him in the business world, but also will help him with many of the financial decisions he makes in life. He will be studying at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo next year.

Yolanda, currently enrolled in first-year Japanese, is very interested in learning about Japanese culture. She is the first in her family to go to college and to expose herself to things outside of her own culture. She learned how crucial accounting is for the success or failure of a business. She believes that accounting can impact a lot of the decisions that she may take as a business professional. She will be spending next year at Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka in Japan.

Celebrating the 25th year of the establishment of the Japanese Language Scholarship Program, two new scholarships were established for Japanese language majors with generous donations from Sanyo North America and Union Bank of California. The representatives from Sanyo North America were Mr. Alan Foster, Vice President, Mr. Akihiko Oiwa, Director of Corporate Communications, and Ms. Megumi Marsh, Corporate Communications Coordinator.

The recipient of the 1st Annual Sanyo North America Scholarship for a Japanese Language Major's Study in Japan ($1,000) is Jennice Lodi. She majors in Television, Film, and New Media in addition to Japanese. She will attend Osaka University of the Arts next year. She plans to make a documentary film on Japanese culture at Osaka University of the Arts and hopes to make it available through the Internet to those students around the world who are interested in visiting Japan.

The representative from Union Bank of California was Mr. Mark Woods, Senior Vice President. The recipient of the 1st Annual Union Bank of California Scholarship for a Japanese Language Major's Study in Japan is Derek Macatantan. Derek said his life has changed completely since he switched his major from Engineering to Japanese. He really enjoys studying Japanese language and culture, which is reflected in his grades. He wanted to improve his conversation skills, so he started a language exchange with several Japanese students from the American Language Institute. Through this he made friends who are waiting for him when he goes to Oita University next year. He has begun an internship at Sanyo Electric Devices. So far he has done things such as researching data from the economic markets and translating technical manuals from Japanee to English. His goal is to have a career where he can integrate his knowledge of the Japanese language and culture into the work of the business field.

Thanks to the generous support of Kyocera International, the very best student of each section of our program will be recognized as the recipient of the 22nd Annual Kyocera Best Student Awards ($150). These are:

Japanese 112: William Honaker, History/Spanish/Japanese; Rhiannon Lira, Japanese; Vera Jenkins, Pre-Art. Japanese 212: Vicki Lewis Japanese; Kevin Justice, Linguistics. Japanese 312: Kevin Llamas, Pre-Business Admin. Japanese 322: Derek Macatantan, Japanese. Japanese 412: Paul Tarpey, Japanese/Linguistics. Japanese 422: Paul Tarpey, Japanese/Linguistics. Japanese 496: Tyler Young, International Business. Japanese 499: Masao Murakami, Political Science (exchange student from Seinan Gakuin University); Toshiyuki Yamada, Linguistics (exchange student from Gunma University); Rina Ishii, Political Science (exchange student from Waseda University).

Celebrating the 25th year of the establishment of the Japanese Language Scholarship Program, Dr. Alan R. Sweedler, Assistant Vice President for International Programs, created the 1st Annual SDSU Office of International Programs (OIP) Outstanding Student Awards ($50) in order to honor the second-best student in each section. They are:

Japanese 112: Karl David Besa, Computer Engineering; Rachel Esswein, Pre-Psychology; Mightor Lucero, Economics. Japanese 212: Joshua Carper Psychology; Landon Lunsford, Mechanical Engineering. Japanese 312: Victoria Walker, International Business. Japanese 322: Kevin Llamas, Pre-Business Admin. Japanese 412: Kimberly Foster, Japanese. Japanese 422: Genevieve Rohe, Japanese/International Business. Japanese 496: Matthew Silva, International Business. Japanese 49: Khwb Lao, Japanese.

The Japanese Language Program honored excellent students who have demonstrated steady efforts and remarkable achievements in each class with Certificate of Merit as the recipients of 9th Annual Honorable Mention. They are:

Japanese 112: Amanda Pullins, Anthropology; Han Hua, Pre-Business Admin.; Yolanda Inchauregui, International Business. Japanese 212: Jordan Penrose, undeclared; David Turner, Single Subject: English Teaching; Steven Ginn, International Business. Japanese 312: Derek Macatantan, Japanese. Japanese 322: Adrian Cruz, International Business; Brandon De La Paz, Japanese. Japanese 412: Krytsel Campano, Japanese; Genevieve Rohe, Japanese/International Business. Japanese 422: Tricia Terao, Japanese; Jyoji Powers, International Business; Breon Curry, Japanese. Japanese 496: Breon Curry, Japanese; Jyoji Powers, International Business.

The Japanese Friendship Garden (Ms. Luanne Kanzawa, Executive Director, and Ms. Miho Ishida, Program Coordinator), Sanyo Electronic Device (Ms. Victoria Luna, Controller & Human Resources Manager), DC Comics, A Warner Bros. Entertainment Company (Mr. Jim Chadwick, Manga Editor), and SDSU American Language Institute (Dr. Bill Price, Executive Director) were recognized as having been supportive of the students of Japanese by providing them with excellent internship opportunities.

In addition, Professor Emeritus Dan McLeod was recognized and thanked for his continuing efforts to support the Japanese Language program. Dr. Michael Shigeru Inoue, Honorary Consul General of Japan in San Diego, was also recognized.

Attendees at the awards ceremony, held at SDSU's Presidential Suite in the Aztec Center, included Dr. Stephen L. Weber, President; Dr. Nancy A. Marlin, Provost; Dr. Thomas R. Scott, Vice President for Research; Dr. Alan R. Sweedler, Assistant Vice President for International Programs; Dr. Geoffrey Chase, Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies; Dr. Paul Wong, Dean, College of Arts and Letters; Dr. Joe Shapiro, Dean, College of Extended Studies; Dr. Bill Price, Executive Director, American Language Institute; Dr. Jeffrey P. Kaplan, Chair, Department of Linguistics and Asian/ Middle Eastern Languages; Dr. Hiroko Johnson and Dr. Kotaro Nakamura, School of Arts, Design, and Art History; Dr. Wilburn Hansen, Department of Religious Studies; Dr. Kelly Hansen, Department of Asia Pacific Studies; Dr. Dean Popp, Chair, International Business Program; Ms. Azizi James, Academic Coordinator, International Business Program, Ms. Maribel Franco, Study Abroad Coordinator, International Business Program; Mr. Jerry S. Anderson, Assistant Scholarship Director, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships; Mr. John Gaughen, Assistant Director, Student Testing, Assessment, and Research, Test Office; Dr. Yoshiko Higurashi, Director of the Japanese Language Program, and Dr. Ryu Kitajima, Ms. Hideko Yamaga, Ms. Asuka Kuratani, and Ms. Erica Hashiba, Japanese language faculty.