Lauryn Gray | Nov. 15, 2010
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| Photo by Lauryn Gray |
| Graduate student Emily Bomersback is headed to Japan as part of a fellowship. She's one of 10 students from across the U.S. and the only IU student selected. |
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Nov. 20, she will add new stamps to her passport as she sets off to Japan as recipient of a U.S.-Japan Postgraduate Journalism Fellowship, a program supported by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and Emerson College that sends students to Japan to learn about the country’s media.
Bomersback is one of 10 graduate students across the United States and the only IU student to win the award. The program invited schools to send one student’s essay to be considered for the fellowship. Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Shannon Martin chose Bomersback’s essay that emphasized the importance of Japan and U.S. relations as well as Americans gaining a better understanding of the country.
Her work focused on her “love of travel and its importance in being an informed and reputable citizen in our ever-increasing global environment,” Bomersback said.
Students from New York University, Emerson College, Columbia University, University of California Berkley and the University of Maryland will join her for 13 days in Japan, meeting journalism professionals and students. They stay in Tokyo for a portion of their trip and visit several other cities, including Okinawa and Kobe.
“I think travel is so important. Many people think of it as being leisurely, but there are so many important lessons you can learn by being in a place you don’t understand,” Bomersback said.
While in Japan, the students will visit several media organizations such as NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and the Asahi Newspaper Journalism School in Tokyo.
While Bomersback is “really intrigued” by the experience in general, she is most interested in meeting people who work in the field of journalism, both students and professionals. The fellows will meet journalism students at Waseda University in Tokyo, and also meet with foreign and Japanese news correspondents. She looks forward to finding similarities and differences between media in Japan and the U.S. and seeing what challenges reporters face. Bomersback will report on her experiences for the IU School of Journalism website.
Following their return Dec. 3, each student will receive two credits and a graduate certificate for foreign affairs journalism.
Bomersback plans to complete her graduate degree in August 2011, when she hopes to begin her career as a travel writer.
“To move abroad and incorporate traveling and writing, that would be perfect,” she said.
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