Help Harmony study manga in Japan!

Hi friends, family and community! I have a huge opportunity to travel to Japan to study manga. I was accepted into the Council on International Educational Exchange Japanese pop culture, anime and manga summer program. My family was able to pull together the initial $1000 down to hold my spot. The remaining $3810 for tuition still needs to be paid by April 15 and the cost of the flight which will be anywhere from $1300 to $2000 round trip is due by April 1.

The manga and pop culture program at CIEE would be a dream come true for me. I have been an anime nerd and enthusiast since around 4th grade. Manga and anime inspires every part of my art, from the art style and storytelling to the music and culture. Japanese manga and anime inspires everything that I create.

My goal after high school is to go to college to study arts and music. The college I want to go to is not set in stone, but my first choice would be Savanna College of Art and Design. I hope to go there and work towards getting my master's degree in creative business and this program would help me get there. This program will not only look great on my college applications, since this is a prestigious art school, but the experience will also aid in my daily life and teachings when it comes to art. I believe there is no better way to learn about an art form than being in the place where it was created. By learning about manga as an art form in Japan by CIEE's instructors, I will have the opportunity to learn the history, culture and styles of Japanese people and manga, putting me a step ahead of my peers who may not have had an experience like this.

What I hope to gain from CIEEs program, other than an exciting time in one of the places I have wanted to go to since I was a younger, is lots and lots of information. I love to learn, take things in, and apply them to my art. I hope to learn how mangakas write and create, what Japanese culture and life is like in Tokyo, and how it differs from the west. I would also love to make new connections with people who are as excited about manga, art and music as I am. After my time in Japan I will take everything I have learned and apply it to my art and writing portfolios. I hope to experience new music and style which will impact my everyday way of looking at the world. I also believe this will impact my ability to go to the university of my choice, and take the steps needed to make a career out of something I genuinely love and enjoy.

Another reason this experience would be so impactful is because I will be the first in my family to have an experience such as this. Growing up Mexican American and Indigenous, in a low-income neighborhood society tells you that programs like this are not in the cards for you. People tell you to set your standards lower, to expect less, and that you are not capable of doing important things. These things being told twice as much to my parents who grew up in a different time than me. Because of this thinking, my parents never felt that they could do something as grand as this at my age, and not only do I want to have this experience for myself, but I want to do it for them. To show that not only is it truly possible, but that it does not stop there. I am determined to go to a great college. I am determined to have a great career. And I am determined to have great experiences in Japan.

Being a lover of arts and music is not for the weak. Finding a sustainable career in the arts is difficult, the pay is not always great, and people will always tell you that being an artist is not a “real” job. But I am determined. Experiences such as this will help pave my way to the future in arts and music I imagine and am hoping to build. And I will take every piece of it with me to reach my goals.

Thank you for any support you can give!