Recipient of the Joshua and James Haglund Memorial Peace Scholarship
“I would like to offer my resounding, heart-felt gratitude for the financial assistance the Haglund Memorial Peace Scholarship offered me as I went to study abroad in Kyoto, Japan.” —Daniel
Without that contribution, I would...not have met so many wonderful friends during my time abroad. I was, and still am, in close communication with a couple classmates who studied abroad during the same Spring 2019 semester as I did. [We were all] in Japan to study the language.
The free time I had...allowed me to get deeper into my hobby of running. I had only just started up again in December of 2018, but by June the next year I was able to run a few 10k routes every week. I also joined the college’s track and field club where I made a few Japanese friends...and participated in my first ever track tournament.
I had never been mountain hiking, but during my first night in Kyoto I was given a tour of the dorm and, from the rooftop, was treated to the sight of the mountains that rim the city and I immediately resolved to climb the tallest one. It actually took me until my last week in the dorm to climb the tallest mountain in the Kyoto mountain range...when I finally did, the scenery hit me. Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan, is on one side of the mountain, and on the opposing side is just endless mountain tops; seeing this from the summit really took my breath away and inspired me to pursue mountain hiking as a hobby.
Finally, I met the love of my life, Eri. We’re looking forward to getting married once I can move back to Japan and establish myself financially.
Thank you again for contributing to this pivotal point in both my academics [and] my life.
