While other students were relaxing during summer break, senior Katherine Verrando was making her vacation time much more productive, participating in a program called High School Diplomats.
High School Diplomats is a scholarship program that is merit based, in which 40 total high school students are brought together from both Japan and the United States. For ten days, the Japanese and American students got the opportunity to exchange cultures and traditions with each other at the University of Virginia. Each American student is paired up with a Japanese roommate.
The goal throughout the week and a half as stated by the High School Diplomats website is to, “Communicate, learn, and simply enjoy each other’s company.”
Katherine Verrando did exactly that, making the most out of her time in Virginia with her roommate.
Because of the time constraints, many students from America taught the Japanese students most of their culture in such a short amount of time. For example, they immersed the Japanese in a Prom-like event, as well as what Halloween was like, although it was only during the summertime.
The high school students from Japan also got the opportunity to share their traditions in a shortened, condensed fashion as well. They taught the American students the Japanese holiday “Bunka No Hi,” in which they dressed up in traditional Japanese clothing, also known as Yukatas.
Additionally, the American students also learned how to make matcha tea and write the calligraphy of the Japanese characters, which are Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji.
As for the academic side of things, there were both English and Japanese classes in which ranged from beginner difficulty to advanced difficulty, in which native speakers of the respective countries helped to teach the class.
Katherine described what her experience was like during the High school diplomats event: “While the program was short, my experience was incredibly life-changing, and I formed so many lasting connections.”
Many other students from America also had an amazing experience throughout the High School Diplomat program. On the Website Testimonials, students from all over the country chimed in to give positive reviews of the program.
One student from Massachusetts wrote, “I am a High School Diplomat. I am ready to tackle the problems of the world through patience, hard work, communication, and honesty. I know the world can be more of a peaceful place.”
Another student from Colorado wrote, “Ten days ago, I never could have imagined feeling the way I do right now…I feel like a new person with kinder intentions and newfound ambition.”
The room and board of this unique experience is paid by the program if accepted in, however, transportation to the University of Virginia has to be paid for in full or by aid.
The applications to sign up for the scholarship are live right now, and the due date for the application is on Jan. 15, 2025. Following the application, those who get selected will have an interview, and from there the accepted applicants will be notified and given the chance to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity.
