When Baylor senior Brittany Lozano decided that she wanted to study abroad in Japan, she knew that she had to start looking for scholarships to help offset the cost.My family alone cannot afford to send me abroad for a year. I have a little sister whose education they have to look out for, among other things, said Lozano, a university scholars major with a concentration in both math and Japanese.Lozano's efforts paid off. She was recently announced as a winner of the Freeman-ASIA Award, a competitive scholarship to support American undergraduate students who demonstrate need and plan to study in East or Southeast Asia. Depending on her financial need and study-abroad budget, she is eligible to receive up to $7,000.According to the award's website,"the program's goal is to increase the number of Americans with firsthand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others and fulfill the program's goal of increasing understanding of Asia in the United States.Brittany will be studying at Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan for the 2012-2013 academic year. She will be leaving at the beginning of September and returning in August of 2013. She plans on taking courses that focus on Japanese culture, including language, literature, history,Business Administration, economics and political science.Baylor Japanese professor Yuko Prefume taught Lozano two years and helped her in the application process.To describe Brittany in five adjectives, she is dedicated, focused, reliable, bright and curious. She always puts in above-and-beyond effort in everything she does,"Prefume said. "Because of her hard work, she was able to acquire a strong foundation in Japanese language. By immersing herself in the Japanese language and culture that she studied for two years, I am certain that her skills will improve tremendously."
Lozano explained how her desire to broaden her Japanese understanding led her to looking into studying abroad.I view studying abroad as the opportunity to follow my love of Japanese beyond the textbook and into reality, and I hope to learn more than just language while I'm there. I hope to find a greater understanding of the people, thought and culture it represents," she said. "Winning the scholarship is something I'm very grateful for. I want to do everything I can to use the time I have there to learn, explore and develop my understanding of the culture, and this scholarship is going to help make that happen.Prefume said that she also will encourage Lozano to apply for the Fulbright Scholarship program in the future, because of her desire to continue her language education after her undergraduate experience.
