Scholarships to Live Dreams and Move Forward

Sendai YMCA College President Kato reports that school classes ended last week and three of the scholarship students will graduate this year.  With the help of your donations there will be three new Taylor Scholarship students for the upcoming school year so there will be five scholarship students in 2015.  Taylor Scholarship students receive a tuition scholarship from The Sendai YMCA and a 400,000 yen living expenses scholarship from the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund (TAMF).

Each scholarship student is offered a scholarship because their family was affected by the disaster and they want to overcome it.  One of the current students lost her house. Her father ran his own inn and restaurant in Matsushima, but they were washed away because of tsunami. Another student is from Kesennuma and his father lost his job. The father works at a construction company, but his annual income is now not enough for a family to live. Those students would have to give up their dream to be a professional hotel service person without your help. Our first graduate, Yayoi Aiso successfully finished her study at YMCA college last year and now works at Yokohama Park Hotel.. Six students are currently being supported by Taylor Scholarships.

Taylor's parents and board members, Jean and Andy Anderson, and the TAMF Sendai representative, Mihoko Terada, had the wonderful experience of being hosted by the Taylor Scholarship students in December at the Sendai YMCA Hotel College. Each student shared a brief statement in English, answered questions and served tea, coffee and sweets.  We are proud to support these aspiring students!

Links:

• Sendai YMCA Hotel College Website

President Kato of Sendai YMCA Hotel College reports the students are all doing well and making good progress.  He sent us a few pictures, letters and videos from the students.  They made the videos with the assistance of their English teacher. Please read the letters and view the videos to see how the students are progressing in their studies, internships and, in the case of the second year students, job hunting.

We are pleased to share these messages from five of the students:

Message from Hiroki

Message from Yushi

Message from Mami

Messsage from Natsumi

Message from Kyoka

We are already planning to support new students next year as Kato-san continues to recruit applicants who are trying to rebuild their lives and their family's as a part of Tohoku Recovery.

In our next report in February the students will be close to the end of their school year which will mean graduation and hopefully jobs for the four second year students. 

Thank you for your support!

• Letter from Kyoka (PDF)
  
• Letter from Mami (PDF)
  
• Letter from Mao (PDF)
  
• Letter from Natsumi (PDF)
  
• Letter from Yushi (PDF)