In less than a month I will be on a plane to Japan, 26 days to be exact. Thinking about it, I can't help but think of the people and organizations that got me here
I've always wanted to study abroad and the only thing that ever held me back was whether or not I could afford it. Now through various scholarships and finical aid my whole semester is almost all paid for. I owe a big thank you to Central Michigan Universities study abroad office and through them the Bud Fisher and Fisher Companies study abroad scholarships. Thanks also to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. All of these organizations have lessened my finical burden and have made this experience something I can thoroughly enjoy without the worry of the monetary costs.
To those of you who are in the same boat, thinking you can never afford it, I am living proof you can. I am an average student with average grades and I was able to get plenty of scholarships, but it was not without hard work. I put lots of hours into applications and essay, and I will be putting in plenty more hours through blogging and in-kind service when I return. It is all worth it and I am extremely grateful to all the people and groups that made it all possible.
Most importantly I owe an enormous thank you my mother. Not only has she been supporting me financially during that stressful period until find out if you are receiving the scholarships or not, but also supporting me emotionally. She supported me when I wanted to go to a country the was not a "normal" country to go study abroad in. She was just as excited as I was when I was accepted into the program and started getting scholarships. She there when I didn't get all the scholarships I was so sure I would get and told me everything would work out in the end.
Thank you to my mother and all my other family and friends who have supported me in this adventure.
