The San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association is proud to offer an opportunity of a lifetime to two San Francisco high school students through our annual High School Student Ambassador Program. This program is funded with the support of corporate sponsors and individual donors in the San Francisco Bay Area, including former participants of the program and their families.
PURPOSE: To enable two San Francisco high school students to gain an understanding of the people and culture of Japan through the practical experience of living with Japanese families in our sister city of Osaka, Japan, and to serve as Student Ambassadors for the City of San Francisco.
REQUIREMENTS: Applicant must be a high school student (9th, 10th, or 11th grade student) in the Fall 2023-Spring 2024 school year, either residing in and/or attending a public or private high school in San Francisco. Unfortunately, due to some post-trip obligations that can only be completed in San Francisco in Fall 2024, no graduating seniors (Class of 2024) are eligible to apply.
There are no language requirements to apply; however, it is highly preferred that the student has a basic knowledge of conversational Japanese. Successful applicants must conduct him/herself appropriately as Student Ambassadors while in Japan.
AWARDS: Two students will be awarded round-trip tickets from San Francisco to Osaka. The students will be guests of host families in Osaka and will participate in family-oriented activities during their stay. The two students and their families will also be awarded free membership to the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association for one year.
***NEW DATES:***Duration of three weeks, beginning early July (around July 7) to late July (to be confirmed).
APPLICATION: Submit a completed application form below.
DEADLINE: All applications must be received by 11:59 pm, Monday, April 15. Some students will be just returning from Spring Break. We urge you to plan ahead in completing the application and not wait until the last minute. Late applications will NOT be considered.
INTERVIEW: After a review of applications, finalists will be invited to a 15-minute interview. All final interviews will be scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, April 19 at a San Francisco Japantown location. You will be asked to complete your availability on that day in the application below. However, not all candidates will be interviewed. Those who are selected for the interview will be contacted about their scheduled time via email no later than noon on Thursday, April 18.The two final scholarship winners will be announced a few days following the interview.
If you are interested in applying, please fill out the application form: https://forms.gle/yEPatRDveEiYN28N9
For questions or concerns, contact Program Chair Dr. Emily Murase, emurase@japantowntaskforce.org or Executive Director Misako Sack, msack@mofo.com.
