Marina Naoi, a fifth-year student at the School of Cooperative Veterinary Medicine, has been
selected for the Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Young Ambassador Program, a public-private
study abroad support system.
This program is a grant-type scholarship system for study abroad that was established in
FY 2014 though collaboration between the national government and companies to promote
study abroad by Japanese students and develop global human resources. Unlike
conventional scholarship systems, the program covers not only academic study but also
activities in which credits are not given, such as internships, volunteer activities and fieldwork,
allowing students to voluntarily plan their study abroad. It also allows students to receive
guidance from the leaders of various sectors and companies to develop the qualities and
capabilities that are required for future Japan.
For the sixth term of the program, 1,336 students from 228 universities and other institutes
across the country applied, and 507 students were finally selected through the first screening
of documents and the second screening of interviews.
To experience public hygiene in various countries and learn on-site epidemic prevention
techniques in both basic and clinical sciences, Naoi will work as a volunteer to protect rare
species of animals at a zoo-affiliated wild animal protection center in Australia for three weeks
from December 2017 and learn how to treat wild and rare animals.
Then, she will do her internship under a local veterinarian at a livestock clinic in Ghana for
three months from January to develop her knowledge of various infections that do not exist
in Japan and create a hazard map for a local farm.
Finally, she will participate in a research project on the epidemiological movement and
evolution of highly and weakly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, which is related to her
graduation work, at Tufts University in the United States for five months from April 2018.
When Naoi heard about the Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Young Ambassador Program,
she hoped to be a veterinarian who would work globally for the prevention of infections that
run riot beyond national borders, and decided to apply for the program because she was
attracted by its generous support and the strong ties of people involved in Tobitate. “This will
be a valuable opportunity to experience the world,” she explained. “I would like use this
opportunity to not only learn veterinary medicine but also expand my world through crosscultural experiences and communication with multinationals. I will give it my best with
thoughts of people who support me in mind.”
