JAPANESE LANGUAGE
SCHOLARSHIP "AURORA" FOUNDATION
the AURORA CHALLENGE GRANT and the AURORA SPECIAL CHALLENGE GRANT
Winners will be introduced at the Aurora Foundation Award Dinner
& Auction
For Immediate Release
Press contact: Aurora Foundation
Tel: (323) 464-8048
Fax: (323) 464-8048
Los Angeles - June 23, 2003 - The Japanese Language Scholarship
"AURORA" Foundation is delighted to announce the winners
of the Aurora Challenge Grant and the Aurora SPECIAL Challenge
Grant for 2003-4. To welcome the two recipients, the Aurora Foundation
is holding the Aurora Foundation Award Dinner & Auction on
Friday, September 19, 2003 at 6 p.m. at the New Otani Hotel &
Garden Los Angeles. To show her support of the goals of the Aurora
Foundation, Iruka, Japanese singer & songwriter, will attend.
Mr. Nobu Matsuhisa will generously create some special hors d'oeuvres
for the event. There will also be a benefit auction (live &
silent) which is a fundraising event for the Aurora Foundation.
The Aurora Foundation Award Dinner & Auction is open to the
public. Admission is $100 per seat and $1,000 per table of 10
seats. ($40 per seat is tax deductible) For reservations, information,
or donating auction items, please contact the Aurora Foundation
at (323) 466-1237.
The Aurora Challenge Grant is awarded to a
USA citizen who resides in California and has a unique dream,
in any field of endeavor, which is related to Japanese culture
and which would never be realized without traveling to Japan
between fall 2003 and summer 2004. There is no age limit and
no GPA/Scholastic achievement requirement. The award goes to
an individual with a creative dream or challenge that if fulfilled,
would contribute to global goodwill and intercultural appreciation.
The winner will receive a $3000 scholarship and roundtrip air
tickets from the USA to Japan (economy class). The recipient
can travel anytime (for any duration) between fall 2003 and summer
2004. By awarding this grant, the Aurora Foundation hopes to
help the winner enhance their pursuit of their truest, most heartfelt
dream by providing them with the opportunity for a once in a
lifetime experience.
The winner of the 2004 Aurora Challenge Grant,
Nicola Gilbert from Venice California, has a dream of completing
her Sushi cook book by touring places related to Sushi in Japan.
Through her book, she believes more American people will be familiar
with Sushi and hopes they will make Sushi in their homes. Nicola's
passion for Sushi began when she was a high school student. She
worked as a waitress at a Japanese restaurant and Sushi bar.
Nicola has learned skills of making Sushi in Japan as well as
at the Sushi Academy in Los Angeles. Currently she is the founder
and owner of a catering and culinary education company, Sushi
Girl. The concept is very simple. Teach American people to
make Sushi at their own homes. This unique business, she launched
in 1999, entertains people here in Los Angeles.
The winner of "Aurora Special Challenge
Grant" for 2003 is Michiyo Okayasu from Saitama, Japan.
The Aurora Special Challenge Grant was created in celebration
of the Aurora Foundation's 5th anniversary. The winner will receive
a grant of $2000 and round-trip air tickets to a Japanese citizen
who hopes to realize their dream in Los Angeles/the USA.
The first awardee, dried flower artist Michiyo
Okayasu, has a dream of introducing her unique style, "Wafu,
Fu-Sui ka" (Japanese-style, Fu-Sui flower arrangement).
Okayasu uses dried flowers as its material. Her arrangement style
is a combination of gorgeous Western ideas and Japanese sensitivity.
With the adoption of Fu-Sui her style becomes unique. In her
arrangements, Okayasu expresses the five elements of the universe
(Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) with colors and scent of dried
flowers. Okayasu wants people in America to experience, with
their five senses, not only her arrangements but also Fu-Sui
as an Asian culture.
The grant includes attendance at the Aurora
Foundation Award Dinner on September 19th at the New Otani Hotel
& Gardens; and the Iruka "Aurora" Concert on September
20, 2003. The grants will be formally presented to Nicola Gilbert
and Michiyo Okayasu at the Award Dinner.
Flower
Arrangement Workshop in Los Angeles by Michiyo Okayasu
3rd Aurora Challenge
Grant Winner (for 2003)
2nd Aurora Challenge Grant Winner
(for 2002)
1st Aurora Challenge
Grant Winner (for 2001)
