The Aurora Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation

The AURORA JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION was established in 1998 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization by Dr. Akiko Agishi who serves as its President. The primary goal of the foundation is to assist U.S. citizens, who are or are studying to be Japanese language teachers, to experience living in Japan and further their understanding of the Japanese language, improve their teaching abilities, and enrich their appreciation of Japanese culture through scholarships.

The Foundation offers several scholarships every year: The JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP, and the AURORA CHALLENGE GRANT. It is the strong belief of the Aurora Foundation that all the recipients will generate immeasurable goodwill for USA/Japan relations, and all their current and future students and associates will share in the benefits realized from these scholarships.

The JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP is awarded to two scholarship recipients, either Japanese language teachers or graduate students who engage in Japanese studies. They each receive a $3,000 scholarship and a roundtrip air ticket for them to go to Japan to deepen their understanding of Japanese language and culture. This year, the Foundation is proud to announce the two recipients: Michael L. Kluemper and Melinda Varner, who will be recognized as the JLSF Japanese Language Scholarship recipients at the JLSF Aurora Benefit Dinner on October 26, 2007.

Michael Kluemper first began his studies of the Japanese language in 1988. His goal for his Aurora Foundation project was to mentor the first NCJLT (National Council of Japanese Language Teachers) AP Summer Institute in Japan. Through the scholarship, Kleumper and the other participating teachers were able to visit several elementary, middle, and high schools in Japan and learn more about what teachers need to improve their Japanese language courses in the U.S. They also spent time working on syllabi for both AP and pre-AP courses as well as compiling a collection of more than 1500 photos.

Melinda Varner was first exposed to foreign language study during her undergraduate career. Through funding by the Aurora Foundation, Varner’s goals were to further develop her mastery of Japanese and expand curriculum resources for instruction in both her language and culture/literature courses at Colorado State University. During her trip to Japan, Varner was able to pursue research on various aspects of Japanese calligraphy, which was her main focus. She also had the opportunity to observe middle school and elementary school education and how Japanese and English are taught in these environments.

The AURORA CHALLENGE GRANT is awarded to a US citizen who resides in California and has a unique dream, in any field of endeavor, which is related to Japanese culture and which would never be realized without visiting Japan. The grant, $3,000 plus a roundtrip air ticket, is awarded to an individual with a creative dream or challenge that when fulfilled, will contribute to global goodwill and intercultural appreciation.

Additionally, the Aurora Foundation, in association with the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, holds the USA NATIONAL JAPANESE LANGUAGE HIGH SCHOOL SPEECH CONTEST in every May to encourage the younger generation of non-native Japanese speaking high school students from all over the USA. Each student shows their unique talent and effort in front of a panel of judges. The student finishing as the 1st Place winner of the contest receives a $500 scholarship and is invited to take part in the Japanese Speech Award Contest held in Tokyo every year. The 2nd Place student receives $300 and the 3rd Place student receives $200.

To make these scholarship programs possible, the Aurora Foundation holds several fundraising events each year. During the spring, Aurora holds a Japanese film screening and in early summer, a charity golf classic. In the fall is the Aurora Benefit Dinner and Auction and the Aurora Benefit Concert - this year the Foundation is delighted to welcome the GOSPELLERS, one of the top vocal groups in Japan. The benefit dinner will be held on Friday, October 26, 2007 at the New Otani Hotel and Garden Los Angeles and the Aurora Concert will be Sunday, October 28, 2007 at El Camino College. Tickets for the dinner and the concert are currently on sale. Please contact the Aurora Foundation at 323.882.6545 for more information.