Cybersecurity major selected for scholarship to study abroad in Japan

CWU student April Jermaine Pecson will have an opportunity to live out one of her lifelong dreams this fall after being selected for the John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families.

The senior information technology management (ITAM) major has always wanted to visit Japan, but she lacked the financial resources to make it happen.

Earlier this year, Pecson’s advisors encouraged her to apply for the Gilman-McCain Scholarship, which provides $5,000 awards for dependents of active United States military personnel to study abroad.

“I’m nervous and excited at the same time,” said Pecson, who will depart for Kyoto, Japan, on September 30 and stay through the end of November. “I don’t know the language, so I’m a little intimidated about the communication aspect. But there will be other American students with me, so we will all be learning together.”

Pecson, whose father serves in the Army, said most of her classes at the CIEE Kyoto study center will be about Japanese culture and history. She will either be living in a dormitory or with a host family, and there will also be many opportunities to travel.

“Travel is a big part of the program because they want students to get to know the whole country, not just one city,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”

Even though she has known about her Gilman-McCain Scholarship selection for a couple of months, she is still in awe that her dream is coming to fruition. She believes her passion for Japanese culture helped her application stand out.

“We had to write an essay about why we were applying for the scholarship, and I talked about how I’ve always wanted to study in Japan,” said Pecson, who was born and raised in Guam. “I also talked about how I look forward to meeting people from other cultures and how I want to enhance my understanding of the world.”

Pecson expects to remain on track to complete her ITAM degree, specializing in cybersecurity, next spring. If everything goes according to plan, she may end up pursuing an internship opportunity in Japan after graduation.

“The program introduces you to a lot of internship opportunities, and some of them are in Japan,” Pecson said. “We will be attending presentations every week, and there will be lots of ways to connect with different people and companies.”

The John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. It is named after the late Senator John McCain from Arizona.

The scholarship, established in 2019, is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which is designed to enable students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad.