FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT INFORMATION: Johanna Wee, Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California scholarship@jetaanc.org
Grant Tominaga, Castro Valley High School Senior, honored at JETAANC Scholarship Dinner
San Francisco, CA – The Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California (JETAANC) held its Annual Scholarship award dinner on Thursday, May 8th, at Nombe, the Mission District’s version of a traditional Japanese izakaya. The event was attended by scholarship recipient Grant Tominaga and his parents, JETAANC executive committee and board members, and Nobue Ozawa, Advisor for Educational Affairs of the Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco. The evening featured a lively discussion between attendees and Grant, Castro Valley High School senior. The dinner also featured remarks by Mark Frey, JETAANC President, and Johanna Wee, JETAANC Board Member and Scholarship Coordinator.
At the dinner, Grant was presented with the 2014 JETAANC Scholarship, a $2,000 academic scholarship. Annually, JETAANC honors a high school senior who has demonstrated genuine interest in Japan, academic excellence, made outstanding contributions to his or her community, and has been accepted into an accredited college or university. Grant will attend the University of California, Davis, in the fall.
An active member of the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association and President of the Buddhist Church of Oakland’s Young Buddhist’s Association, Grant is a changemaker – inspiring, mentoring, and collaborating with others in his community to make a positive difference. As a volunteer in the emergency room at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, Grant provides comfort to patients and families waiting to be seen by doctors. At school, Grant co-founded the Make-A-Wish club and coordinated fundraising efforts to benefit the Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area chapter. In addition to his charitable endeavors, Grant excels academically and is ranked in the top 10 percent of his class. Grant is a speaker of Japanese and a former participant of the International Youth Exchange program in Hiroshima, Japan. While in Japan, Grant was recognized by the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and made a Youth Goodwill Ambassador. After graduation from U.C. Davis, Grant hopes to return to Japan as a Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) participant. Now in its 27th year, the JET Program is aimed at promoting grassroots international exchange between Japan and other nations.
The JETAANC serves as a network and resource for JET Program alumni in Northern California and Nevada, and provides assistance to the JET Program and other activities that strengthen U.S.–Japan relations.
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