Yuko Hokama: "Japanese Overseas National Scholarship" Recipient
USC Master of Arts Degree Candidate
Yuko Hokama in USC Campus
Yuko Hokama
I was born and brought up in Okinawa. Since I was interested in English language and American culture, I continued my education in an American college on U.S. military base after graduating a Japanese college. After graduating the American college, I was fortunate enough to win the "Overseas National Scholarship" from Okinawa International Exchange & Human Resources Development Foundation (OIHF). I chose University of Southern California to obtain a Master of Arts Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy to enable me to practice marriage and family therapy in Okinawa.
Counseling in Japan is not well developed as a professional discipline and it is not as fully recognized by society as one in the United States. Problems that are unfortunately common in America, domestic violence, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, homicide, and suicide, we are now facing in Japan. However, we do not have enough counselors in Japan. Additionally, in Okinawa where U.S. military bases are located, many problems are derived from intercultural marriages. Many families are seeking support. Although the demand has become greater, there are few public services available that deal with their problems. Counselors who are bilingual and understand both Japanese and American cultures have been in pressing need. Due to these major reasons, I am determined to be a part of the growth of Marriage and Family Therapy in Okinawa.
What I learn at USC will give me the broad, theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The school has large international student body. Having a different cultural background myself, studying here enables me to exchange ideas and opinions with students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as let me build a network of human relations which will, I am sure, be valuable in the future.
I hope to contribute to Okinawan society after graduation with gained knowledge and skills. We can expect to have more variety of family dynamics in Okinawa in near future. I would like to help those families to be accepted to the society without any bias, and to be able to function as they should.
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