Hastings student leaves for Okinawa as National Scholarship recipient
6/22/01
J-ad Graphics News Service


Justin Hutchins of Hastings will depart this month to live with a
volunteer host family in Okinawa, Japan for the summer.

Justin is the son of Louise and Jerry Hurless and Marc and Julie
Hutchins, all of Hastings.

A student at Hastings High School, Justin is the recipient of the
prestigious Okinawa Peace Scholars program, which is administered by
Youth for Understanding (YFU) International Exchange. Funding for this
scholarship is provided by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science,
Sports and Culture, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
United States government.

The Okinawa Peace Scholars Program is in its fifth year. Ten high school
students received a scholarship through YFU, one of the world's oldest
and largest youth exchange organizations.

In the fall, schools across the country were encouraged to nominate
qualified freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Finalists were selected on
the basis of written essays, teacher recommendations and personal
interviews.

Before traveling to Japan, the scholarship recipients will attend an
orientation program at the University of Pacific in California.

Upon arrival in Tokyo, the students will visit several top Japanese
government officials before leaving to join the volunteer host families
located on the island of Okinawa.

YFU was established in 1951 as a private, nonprofit educational
organization dedicated to preparing young people for their
responsibilities and opportunities in a changing, interdependent world
through exchange programs for high school students.

Today, YFU operates exchange programs in more than 60 countries, has
five district offices in the United States, an International Center in
Washington D.C., a worldwide network of staff and several thousand
professionally trained volunteers and more than 185,000 alumni.

For additional information about youth exchange opportunities with
YFU, including the opportunity for American families to host
international students in their homes, call 1-800-833-6243.