Randy Garcia, a CCNY double major, will study Japan-US relations and the Japanese language this summer on prestigious scholarships.
Randy E. Garcia, an anthropology undergraduate from The City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and Division of the Humanities and Arts BA/MA history student, is headed to Japan after winning scholarships to attend the highly competitive Middlebury Language School Japanese Immersion Program, and the inaugural Japan-United States Friendship Commission Summer Institute (JUSFC).
The young Dominican immigrant’s Asian study tour begins with participation in the new JUSFC Summer Institute, an immersive two-week program designed to promote diversity and inclusion in U.S.-Japan relations. It runs May 24 to June 10, in Washington, DC, Tokyo and Kyoto.
“It is fully funded and includes a round trip economy ticket for travel within Japan while on the program, field trips, and entry fees to museums,” said Garcia, an Inwood, Manhattan, resident. “Additionally, JUSFC offers a stipend of $2,500 per student to cover meals and incidental expenses.”
The mission of the JUSFC, a United States federal agency, is to develop the next generation of leaders for the U.S.-Japan partnership. The partnership encompasses many fields, and students from the natural and social sciences, humanities, and arts, as well as those with professional interests in policymaking, diplomacy, business, and nonprofit sectors should apply.
After the JUSFC Summer Institute, Garcia will go to Middlebury, Vermont to learn the language in the Middlebury Language School Immersion Program, which runs over eight weeks, from June 23 to August 18. Middlebury hosts what’s hailed as the summer home for some of the most talented teachers, scholars, and artists. The program itself touts its dedicated faculty as “some of the world’s leading academic professionals.”
On his future, Garcia said: “Currently, I am thinking about obtaining a PhD in Japanese history, and to continue developing my research on the impact of the triangular relations between the United States, Japan, and Latin America on Japanese emigration into Latin America between the 1900s to the 1950s.”
His other honors at CCNY include a Mellon Mays Fellowship, the Barbara Brooks Award, “given to an outstanding paper in East Asian History”; and the Louis Neugeborn Memorial Scholarship.
About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.