McNeese English Major Receives Scholarship to Study Japanese 

Genevieve “Genny” Cook will spend the spring semester in Tokyo, Japan, learning and studying Japanese at Toyo University. 

The Ragley junior English major at McNeese State University, received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study a critical need language. This cultural exchanged program is administered by the U.S. Department of State. 

“I chose to attend a university in Japan because I always wanted to go there. My father was born on an U.S. Army base in Hokkaido, Japan, and my grandmother always spoke very fondly of the country,” explained Cook. 

Additionally, her interest in Japanese culture started as child with anime, a Japanese animation style, and manga, Japanese comic books.  

The Gilman International Scholarship will help Cook cover the cost of the semester abroad and allow her to set up a blog for others who also want to study in Japan. Students interested in finding out more about the scholarship and critical need languages can visit www.gilmanscholarship.org/program/critical-need-languages/. 

Cook is looking forward to trying new foods, making new friends and enjoying the Japanese culture. She hopes to one day return to Japan to teach English at the university level.