PAIA Department announces new Scholarship for Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET) Program Alumni

Maxwell and JETTA collaborate to financially assist students based on our shared mission of international public service.

PAIA Department Announces New Scholarship for Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET) Program Alumni

The Department of Public Administration and International Affairs (PAIA) is pleased to announce a our partnership with the Japan Exchange Teaching Programme Alumni Association (JETAA) to offer JET program alumni a “Maxwell PAIA – JET Alumni” Scholarship.

This scholarship covers at least 30% of tuition cost of a single- or dual-degree course of study in Maxwell’s Master of Public Administration or Master of Arts in International Relations on-campus programs. The offer includes the option to defer admission for one year and to be considered for further merit-based aid based on the strength of the application for admission.

Participants leave the JET program with extraordinary skills and experiences, including cross-cultural communications, community engagement, and foreign language proficiency, which provide an excellent foundation for success in the PAIA Department’s professional degree programs.  Numerous JET alumni have graduated from the Maxwell School’s Masters in Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Relations programs in recent years.

Beth Gawne (MPA/MAIR ’16) competing in a folk singing competition while in Japan.

Beth Gawne (MPA/MAIR ‘16) spent 3 years in the JET program, living and teaching English in Morotsuka Village in Miyazaki Prefecture before coming to the Maxwell School.  Beth credits her experiences in Japan with helping her to take full advantage of her coursework in both the MPA and MAIR programs.

“Through cultural immersion, I learned how to see through another person’s lens, and through exposure to non-Western ways of thinking, I learned how to understand the world with more nuance. It was easy for me to take this lived experience and then apply it to the coursework at the Maxwell school– which was already aimed at providing real-world skills and knowledge. I feel I provided a unique perspective among my classmates, and was able to easily apply my studies to what I had already learned first-hand. My coursework was instantly more interesting and exciting when I had something unique to jump off of and compare my experiences to.” 

Beth has also leveraged the Maxwell School’s and JETAA’s professional networks in her post-graduate career.

“I’m always surprised at how the skills I gained while on JET– like oral communication, thinking on my feet, and managing intercultural conflicts– have popped up frequently in my recent jobs. The alumni in both communities have provided great encouragement and professional development opportunities, and I’m grateful for all the mentors I’ve gained along the way.  My experiences in JET and at the Maxwell School have helped me immensely as I continue to discover my professional strengths and carve out my career path.”

Maxwell School is pleased to partner with JETAA to provide JET alumni with the opportunity to combine their international experiences with a top-ranked professional degree in Public Administration and/or International Relations.

For further information about the Maxwell PAIA – JET Alumni Scholarship or about the PAIA Department’s professional degree programs, please visit JETAA’s and the PAIA Department’s  websites.

This post was written by Michael Fandrich, MPA 2019.