On Friday, July 30, the study abroad debriefing meeting for participating students from Keio's affiliated schools in the 2020 academic year was held at the West School Building Hall on Mita Campus. The event was held with provisions in place to ensure that participants were able to maintain social distance.
In the 2013 academic year, Keio established the "University-Endorsed Study Abroad Program for Keio University Affiliated Schools" under which students are selected from among its affiliated schools to study abroad for about one year at a prestigious boarding school in the United States or United Kingdom. Scholarships are awarded to cover tuition and other fees at the host schools. The high-quality education the selected students received while studying with some of the brightest students from around the world greatly broadened their perspectives, and it is hoped that these students will create a ripple effect of inspiration among their classmates through stories of their study abroad experiences.
At the meeting, following opening remarks by Vice-President Keita Yamauchi, eight study abroad students made presentations, including two from the elementary school course that began sending students in the 2020 academic year. In the midst of the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) infections, this was one of the few study abroad programs to successfully dispatch students to their respective destinations overseas, through the cooperation of all parties concerned. The proceedings of the meeting evidenced the breadth of experiences to which study abroad students were exposed, and how they had grown despite the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic. Part of the Q&A session which followed the presentations was conducted in English and also streamed online.
Study abroad students in the 2020 academic year were as follows:
<High school third-year program (United States)>
Phillips Academy Andover: One student from Keio Senior High School
<High school second-year program (United States)>
The Taft School: One student from Keio Shonan Fujisawa Senior High School
<High school second-year program (United Kingdom)>
Shrewsbury School: One student from Keio Senior High School
One student from Keio Girls Senior High School
Winchester College: One student from Keio Senior High School
<Junior high school second-year program (United Kingdom)>
Fay School: One student from Keio Chutobu Junior High School
<Elementary school fifth-year program>
Dragon School: One student from Keio Yochisha Elementary School
One student from Keio Yokohama Elementary School
(Reference)
・University-Endorsed Study Abroad Program for Keio University Affiliated Schools (Japanese)