OXFORD, Miss. – Now more than ever, it is extremely
important for college students to be aware of global
issues, and a University of Mississippi student from Amory
has received a scholarship that will help him do just
that.
John Sullivan, a 20-year-old rising junior, is recipient of
a new scholarship funded by UM’s Japan Student Service
Organization. In September, he embarks on a 10-month tour
halfway around the world to Osaka, Japan. Majoring in
biology and minoring in Japanese in the College of Liberal
Arts, Sullivan plans to immerse himself in the country’s
culture and live among its people.
“I really want to increase my Japanese-speaking skills,”
Sullivan said. “I also hope to increase my knowledge of
other cultures, while gaining a more global-oriented way of
thinking.”
With a population of less than 8,000, small-town Amory has
little in common with Osaka, which boasts more than 2.6
million people. Sullivan expects the trek to be a
life-changing opportunity. (And that’s not to mention his
having to substitute Japanese dishes such as octopus
dumplings for traditional Southern fare like fried
catfish.)
“Amory is a great town to grow up in, but it isn’t a very
diverse place,” Sullivan said. “The most prominent thing
that stands out in my mind is the fact that no matter where
I go in Amory, there’s always someone familiar.”
That familiarity is sure to vanish upon Sullivan’s arrival
in Osaka. The $10,000 JASSO scholarship enables him to
study at Osaka Gakuin University, taking courses in
Japanese language, culture, social sciences, political
science and business.
“Students get an intensive Japanese language program while
they’re there, and that’s why they don’t necessarily have
to have any prior knowledge of Japanese language to qualify
for this program,” said Blair McElroy, UM study abroad
adviser for Asian programs.
The academic year is broken into the fall semester, a
seven-week interim program and the spring semester.
Students take 16 credits per week, with 10 credits of
Japanese language and six credits of subject-based courses
taught in English for the fall semester. The interim
program is an intensive language program, and all classes
in the spring semester are taught in Japanese, McElroy
said.
“I’ve only left the country once, to Mexico,” Sullivan
said. “It was a vacation cruise during my senior year of
high school. I didn’t have a large amount of time to
interact with the locals; however, I can say that it made
me realize how radically different a country can be, even
though it is only a short distance away.”
OGU is a private institution in the heart of Osaka, Japan’s
second-largest city and the country’s commercial center,
with Mitsubishi, Sanyo and Suntory calling it home. The
school is also UM’s only exchange partner in Japan offering
a home-stay option, providing students with complete
immersion in Japanese culture.
With Toyota preparing to open a manufacturing facility in
Tupelo and Nissan already in production near Jackson, the
growing relationship between this state and Japan offers a
perfect time for Mississippi students to study there, said
UM Study Abroad director Susan Oliphant.
“Imagine the impact of such study on future employment,”
Oliphant said.
Sullivan expects to graduate from UM in May 2010, then
apply to law school. He hopes to eventually work with Asian
countries in environmental law.
For more information about Study Abroad opportunities at
UM, visit http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/study?abroad/.