(NEWS) Sasakawa Fellowship Students Orientation 2024

October

2024

Sasakawa Fellowship Students Orientation 2024

The Orientation for the new Sasakawa Fellowship Students in the Class of 2025 took place on September 20 at the World Maritime University (WMU) in the Sasakawa Auditorium. This annual event, organized by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, serves to strengthen connections between the graduating Class of 2024 and the incoming Sasakawa-sponsored students, promoting future collaboration. The Class of 2024, comprising 30 Sasakawa Fellowship Students set to graduate on November 2, warmly welcomed 30 new Sasakawa Fellowship Students from the Class of 2025.

The Sasakawa Fellows Programme provides a global network to enable Sasakawa Fellows who graduate from WMU to assist their home countries in addressing maritime policy challenges while fostering leadership excellence and promoting international cooperation. Sasakawa Fellowship Students are encouraged to leverage their experiences at WMU to tackle issues their countries face and to cultivate robust networks that facilitate positive changes in the maritime sector and society at large.

Representing The Nippon Foundation were Mr. Eisuke Kudo, Advisor for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), along with Ms. Emi Shimada and Ms. Reiko Naito from SPF. The orientation featured opening remarks from Mr. Kudo, who has been involved with the WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Programme for over two decades. He emphasized the importance of making connections with other Sasakawa Fellows to advance the overall network, always keeping in mind the motto of Nippon Foundation Chairman, Dr Yohei Sasakawa, “One World. One Family.” Following this, Ms. Shimada presented an overview of the Sasakawa Fellows Programme, including its history, administration, and funding mechanisms.

Students from both the Class of 2024 and Class of 2025 introduced themselves to one another and to the SPF team. The Class of 2024 also provided insights into each specialization for the newcomers. A reception later took place at the WMU World Bistro where WMU President, Professor Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., expressed gratitude to The Nippon Foundation for their exceptional and continued support for maritime and ocean capacity building through fellowships for WMU students.

During the evening reception, remarks were given on behalf of the Class of 2024 by Mr. Jose Miguel Jaramiollo Mendoza and by Ms. Supranee Wattanapongsakul for the Class of 2025. Mr. Peter Tamarakro Orubebe from the Class of 2024 served as the Master of Ceremonies.

The total number of WMU students who have received Sasakawa Fellowships to study at WMU now stands at 821 individuals, including the 30 incoming Fellowship Students in the Class of 2025.

About The Nippon Foundation’s Support to WMU:
The Nippon Foundation is dedicated to social innovation, aiming to foster a society where individuals support one another, alleviating challenges through collaboration. The Nippon Foundation’s contributions to WMU began in 1987 with providing fellowships for WMU students. The WMU Sasakawa Fellowship Programme began in 1988. The Nippon Foundation is the largest fellowship donor to the University, providing 30 new awards on an annual basis.

In addition to fellowships, The Nippon Foundation organizes a week-long field study in Japan. Since 2001, SPF has regularly conducted Regional Network Meetings for WMU Sasakawa Fellows. Moreover, The Nippon Foundation further supports the capacity building mission of WMU by substantially funding the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, as well as funding six Professorial Chairs, and numerous conferences and events connected with WMU.

Each year, a limited number of Sasakawa Fellowships are available for government employees from developing countries. The Sasakawa Fellowship Awards Committee seeks qualified candidates with strong academic and professional backgrounds, prioritizing those aged 26 to 35. Interested applicants must apply for admission to the university while simultaneously submitting a Donor Funding Application from their organizations and a Sasakawa Fellowship Motivational Statement. It is crucial for both applications to be thoroughly completed. Completed applications must reach the university by the end of January in the year of entry.

For more information, click here.

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