Quest for World Peace Fuels Study Abroad Scholarship

"I wanted to act on my belief in the personal transformational impact of global education and its ultimate outcome in achieving world peace."  

- Audrey Furukawa

During her 30-year career as an administrator and educator at UH Hilo, three core values have driven Audrey Furukawa: family, friendship and opportunity.

Now, with the help of family and friends, she will give others the opportunity to study abroad through the Audrey S. Furukawa Study Abroad Scholarship Endowment.

Furukawa made the lead gift upon her retirement from UH Hilo, and then enlisted the community to raise additional funds. Their generosity and vision makes it possible for eligible UH Hilo students to begin their global education journey and opens infinite doors of opportunity.

Furukawa values the opportunity to give back. "It is difficult to verify how lives are enriched and how world peace can be achieved through global education and exchange," she said. "Yet I am convinced of the positive impact of global education, and wish to make such educational opportunities a reality by establishing this endowment."

A lifelong resident of Hilo, Audrey Furukawa spent over 30 years as a faculty member and administrator at UH Hilo, retiring in 2008 from dual positions as Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, and Director of the Center for Global Education and Exchange, which she established in 2005.

The impact of this scholarship is immeasurable and everlasting.

In 2016, Anayah Doi, a junior linguistics major at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo was awarded the Audrey S. Furukawa Study Abroad Scholarship. Doi attended Hokkaido University in Japan for Fall 2016 – Spring 2017 with support from the scholarship, and is returning home to continue her studies at UH Hilo. She hopes to teach English or conduct research on second-language acquisition in Japan.

"It's inspiring to know my community is supportive of my dreams and wants to help me make them a reality," Doi said upon receiving the scholarship.

The ASF Study Abroad Scholarship was created to provide UH Hilo students with the opportunity to study abroad. Some of the scholarship requirements include being a full-time student at UH Hilo, having a minimum 3.2 GPA, and having 24 UH Hilo credits at the time of departure.

For further information, contact the Center for Global Education and Exchange at 932-7488 or [email protected].

Updated: June 21, 2017