Belmont and Houghton natives awarded
full-rides to Japan and Germany
 An academic year of language and cultural immersion are in store for two Western Michigan Unviersity students who have been awarded full-ride scholarships from two of WMU's most prestigious exchange partners.
David Gregg, a senior from Houghton, Mich., has been awarded the Freie Universitat Berlin Scholarship to attend the German university. Janelle Garchow, a junior from Belmont, Mich., has been awarded the Keio University Exchange Scholarship and will study in Tokyo.
Beginning in October, Gregg will spend 10 months in an intensive German language program at FUB, which will involve about 25 hours a week of instruction. He also plans to take non-language courses applicable to his major in psychology.
Freie Universitat Berlin was established in 1948 and today is a large, urban university of 42,500 students. WMU and FUB have been exchange partners since 1963. Gregg’s scholarship, valued at nearly $20,000, covers two semesters of study, including tuition, room & board, and some personal expenses.Selection for both awards is based on academic achievement and language proficiency by a jury that includes faculty and Haenicke Institute staff.
WMU German Professor Peter Blickle met Gregg in spring 2005, when Gregg enrolled in Blickle’s second-semester German language class. Blickle said Gregg, a native of Michigan’s sparsely populated Keweenaw Peninsula, told Blickle he wanted “to get out in the world,” when interviewed to determine his eligibility to participate in WMU’s spring 2006 short-term study abroad program in Bonn, Germany.
“In Bonn, David bloomed,” Blickle said. “He excelled in everything. He participated in a theater group, played the guitar and sang in front of groups, and his German became excellent. Also, he became a much more all around interested and interesting person.”
In the essay Gregg wrote as part of the scholarship application process, Gregg said he hopes to conduct psychology research while in Germany, in addition to his academic work.
“I have a strong interest in world issues and take every opportunity to meet people from other countries,” Gregg said. “There is a certain energy and curiosity found in visiting different countries that I love. If I were to find an opportunity to research psychology while in Germany it would be an outstanding addition to my professional credentials.”
Blickle, who served on the scholarship jury, qualified Gregg as an “excellent” candidate for the FUB scholarship, with an overall GPA of 3.85 and for his participation in extra-curricular events.
“David did excellent work as the German representative on the Department of Foreign Language’s Student Focus Group, a group put together by the chair for the department’s academic program planning,” Blickle said. “He participated regularly in the German conversation tables convened in the cafeteria each week to help students master the spoken language. He also received the Preis der Bundesrepublik (The Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany) at the department’s recent awards ceremony.”
Janelle Garchow awarded the Keio University Exchange Scholarship
Beginning in September, Garchow will spend 11 months in an intensive Japanese language program at Keio, which will involve about 25 hours a week of instruction. She also plans to take non-language courses applicable to her major in economics.
Keio is a private, co-educational university and the oldest institution of higher education in Japan. WMU and Keio have been exchange partners since 1961. Garchow’s scholarship is also valued at nearly $20,000, covers two semesters of study, including tuition, room & board, and some personal expenses.
In the essay Garchow wrote as part of the application process, she explained her reasons for selecting Keio University as a study abroad destination.
“The curriculum will challenge me, solidifying and expanding the language skills I’ve learned in high school and WMU environments,” Garchow said in the essay. “Since Keio is in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, it is the ideal place to learn about Japan’s sustainability initiatives for my Honor’s College thesis. Also, Keio’s economics program is quite strong and the university’s prestige will greatly aid my future graduate school applications for a dual MBA/MS program in sustainable business.”
Dr. Stephen Covell, director of WMU’s Michitoshi Soga Japan Center and Mary Meader Professor of Comparative Religion, met Garchow in 2006, when she attended his Japanese Religion and Culture study abroad program.
“Ms. Garchow has proven herself time and again as a top notch student of Japan here at WMU,” Covell said. “Not only has she worked hard to study the Japanese language, but she has sought out opportunities to expand her knowledge of Japan. In addition to a sterling academic record, one of the key qualities necessary for this award is the ability to act as an ambassador of WMU to one of our oldest partners in Japan and to all of our Japanese alumni and friends. On my 2006 Japanese Religion and Culture study abroad seminar she demonstrated just such qualities in her interactions with our Japanese hosts, the Japanese students we met, and with her fellow WMU travelers.”
For more information about WMU’s expansive study abroad offerings, call the Haenicke Institute at (269) 387-5890, write study-abroad@wmich.edu, or visit the study abroad Web site at: www.wmich.edu/studyabroad.
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