TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholars visit New York and Washington, D.C.

Three Japanese college students currently studying in the United States for the 2014-15 academic year visited Washington, D.C. on and New York City from January 4 to 10, 2015. The students are recipients of the TOMODACHI Sumitomo Corporation Scholarship Program that supports an academic year of study at a U.S. university. This year’s participants are attending Carnegie Mellon University, University of Hawaii, Manoa, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This winter break visit was organized by U.S.-Japan Council member Jewelle Yamada of the Sumitomo Corporation of America’s (SCOA) New York office.

In New York, the students visited Sumitomo offices and did an overnight homestay with Sumitomo employees. While in DC, the students attended meetings at the Embassy of Japan, Sumitomo’s Washington, D.C. office and with staff of Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Students were hosted by D.C. area U.S.- Japan Council members Joan Ochi and Amy Yamashiro for a home hospitality dinner. They were treated to homemade foods and conversation with the host’s family and friends. On Thursday morning, the students gathered for a breakfast roundtable with local professionals that included member Mark Uyeda, for a discussion of various topics including careers and advice for making the most of their study abroad experience. The students will return to their schools this weekend, after visiting a Sumitomo subsidiary, seeing a Broadway show and attending a final dinner in New York.

Special thanks to Delta Airlines for contributing complimentary flights to the participants.