2023 Travel Grant Recipient
James R., Los Gatos High School
Wasshoi Foundation is also pleased to provide a travel grant to support James R., of Los Gatos High School, which made its first post-COVID exchange trip to Sakuragaoka High School in June 2023. James was especially looking forward to experiencing what an average school day in Japan is like”, and enjoyed not only the school immersion, but visits to cultural and historic sites in Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima.
2023 ScholarshipRecipients
Sharwan L, Salinas High School
Sharwan became passionate about studying history as a result of learning about the Japanese American immigration experience in his Japanese language class. Sharwan will be attending California State University Monterey Bay, where he plans to earn a teaching credential in history and continue studying Japanese. According to one of his teachers, Sharwan stands out not only for his academic achievements and motivation, but also for demonstrating “maturity and strength of character”.
Adrian G, Rancho San Juan High School
Adrian will be attending San Francisco State University where he will major in Business and minor in Japanese language. Adrian is president of his school’s chapter of the Japanese National Honor Society, and he received high praise from his teacher for his leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm.
Joanna S, Alvarez High School
Joanna S. has a goal of becoming a language teacher-teaching Japanese here in the U.S. or English in Japan. Her advisor at Alvarez High says that Joanna is “most proud of her achievement and commitment in learning about Japanese culture all four years in high school” and that she has “fallen in love with the culture and language, so much so that she wants to become a Japanese language teacher.” She will be enrolling at California State University Monterey Bay in the fall.
2022 ScholarshipRecipients
Edwin Rodriguez
Aviles:
Everett Alvarez High School
Edwin’s teacher describes him as “one of the most self-driven, dedicated learners of Japanese that I have had in my career…I have never seen a student reach his level of proficiency after only two years of learning, not to mention one of those years having been online.” Edwin tells us that “World Languages are the most interesting and important thing to me. I want to see Japan with my own two eyes.” A senior, Edwin is the current vice-president of his school’s Japan club, helping to organize a karaoke contest and an ALS charity run. “These experiences have made me become conscious of the importance of living in a world with various cultures, languages and people.”
Fernanda Ayala: Alisal High School
Fernanda is a senior currently enrolled in Japanese level 3, and will soon be a first-generation college student. “Japanese has expanded my view of the world, and I hope to improve my language skills and learn the basics of other languages. I hope that the Wasshoi Foundation pushes me forward to achieve my dreams.” Fernanda’s Japanese teacher tells us, “I have been teaching for more than 20 years, and I have rarely encountered this kind of student. It is an honor and genuinely fun to teach a young person of this caliber.”
Uriel Hernandez Vega:
Everett Alvarez High School
Uriel is a senior currently enrolled in Japanese AP. He describes himself as “completely fluent in Spanish and English; I want to be trilingual and become completely fluent in Japanese. I want to experience attending a Japanese university and studying with Japanese students. I want to experience the culture and language that I’ve learned about in these four years.” Uriel’s teacher describes him as “a great role model for his classmates,” standing out for his exceptional work ethic and academic excellence.
2019-2020 Recipients
Andrea Sanchez:
Everett Alvarez High School
Andrea is a senior enrolled in AP Japanese who plans to continue studying of the language in college as she works toward earning a degree in international business. Her interest in Japan was sparked at the age of nine by the photos of her uncle’s wedding in his bride’s hometown in Japan. Andrea said, “As I learned more about Japan, I made it a goal to learn Japanese as my third language. I admire Japan for being a very respectful and united country. I have developed a love and respect for Japan over the past eight years, and it has become one of my biggest aspirations to be able to travel there one day.”
Andrea contributes her time and leadership at school and in her community as a member of several organizations, including Japanese National Honor Society, Interact, Link Crew, and the Monterey County SPCA. She’s also works part-time after school and is on the EAHS tennis team.
Maurilia Vargas-Mendoza: Everett Alvarez High School
Maurilia is a junior enrolled in Japanese 3 at Alvarez High who loves learning and using Japanese and says, “The memories and experiences gained while studying this world language have become an integral part of my high school experience.” She is looking forward to the “first-hand exposure to Japanese language and culture which cannot be replicated in the classroom.” In addition to her studies, Maurilia is active in several campus groups, including all of the Japan-related organizations, and has a part-time job. She is an enthusiastic member of the Reserve Officer Training Corp program at Alvarez and plans to join the US Military after high school.
2018-19 Recipients
Mia Valdez, North Salinas High School
Mia, a talented singer, is in her fourth year of studying Japanese at the high school level. For two years, she has held the position of Vice President of the Japanese Club. She is interested in working on international music projects in the future. Mia worked after school and on weekends to raise approximately half of the money needed to participate in a trip to Japan with her classmates, when changes in her family situation made raising the rest of the money particularly challenging. After learning that she had been chosen to receive a grant, she told us, “I felt that my string of luck was taking a turn for the better. I am so thankful to the Wasshoi Foundation. I feel like you have saved my life in a way.”
Daniel Regalado, Alisal High School
Daniel is self-taught musician, and is also in his fourth year of Japanese study. He aspires to be a translator or to work in Japan at some point in his career. One of his teachers wrote that “Despite his financial and economic challenges at home, this student outperforms most everyone in his class, and he is one of my most reliable and consistent students this year.” Daniel is looking forward to the upcoming trip to Japan to “grasp a greater understanding of the language, as well as the culture.”