Each year, the JICUF provides about $200,000 for scholarships at ICU. One exchange student (one-year regular or OYR) who is receiving the JICUF scholarship for international students is Katie Cheshire. We recently had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

JICUF: Please tell us about yourself. Where are you from, what year are you in, and what is your major?

Katie: I’m from just outside of Toronto, Canada, but my home university is the University of Windsor. I’m in my third year of university studying international relations and development.

JICUF:  Why did you decide to study at ICU?

Katie: I have always wanted to come to Japan, I’m really interested in the history and the culture of the country, and ICU was the perfect fit for both where I wanted to go, and for completing my degree. ICU seemed really welcoming, and the courses interested me quite a lot, so it was an easy choice!

JICUF: How is your life at ICU so far? What do you like about it?

Katie: I love ICU! I’m living on campus in Global House, and everyone is so amazing! Everyone is friends with everyone, and no one stays a stranger for long. I love that the campus feels small, it means it’s not crowded, you can appreciate how beautiful everything is, and that you get to know people better. I also really enjoy my classes; it’s interesting for me to get a new perspective on politics or history than I’ve already been taught, there are different sides to every story and coming from a Western education I’ve been taught things a certain way that definitely differs to the way the same thing is taught in Japan.

JICUF: Have you encountered any difficulties?

Katie: I think that everyone encounters difficulties when they decide to go away for a year, but they’re not anything you can’t overcome. My biggest difficulty is probably trying to do everything I can while still passing my classes and not bankrupting myself, and really, that’s the best kind of difficulty to have!

JICUF: What classes are you taking? Have you joined any student clubs/circles?

Katie: Other than my JLP courses my classes are mainly politics/international relations and history courses. Learning about American politics from a Japanese perspective has been a lot of fun. I’m currently helping with the theatre production that’ll be performed in February. I’ve met a lot of new people and I’m looking forward to working with them more this semester!

JICUF: What do you hope to achieve during your time at ICU?

Katie:  I hope that by the end of the year I’ll be able to at least struggle my way through a conversation in Japanese! Mostly I hope that I come away from exchange with a more open mind and a bunch of new friends!

JICUF: Thank you Katie! We hope that you continue to enjoy your time at ICU and wish you all the best!