CONNIE JILL CARLSTROM ENDOWED AWARD IN JAPANESE STUDIES
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Left to right: Takemoto-Sensei, Connie Carlstrom, Kerry |
| Each year, the Connie Jill Carlstrom Endowed Award in Japanese Studies is presented to a promising student of Japanese language and culture who shows great interest in pursuing a career or graduate studies in some aspect of relations between Japan and the United States. Candidates must have achieved junior status and have studied Japanese for at least one academic year at the college level. The award recipient will be selected by a committee of three members of the teaching faculty selected by the Dean of the Faculty. The award was established in 1993 by the Carlstrom family to honor Jill Carlstrom who died suddenly in the town of Tamamura, Japan, on September 6, 1993. She had just begun teaching in the Japan Exchange Program that is sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education. After graduating as an English major, with a minor in Japanese language and literature, in May, 1993, Jill went to Japan in late July to begin preparing for her assignment as an Assistant Language Teacher in two junior high schools. On the Whitman campus, Jill was an active member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She studied Japanese for four years at Whitman College and served in her senior year as the Resident Assistant of the Tekisuijuku, the Japanese language interest house on campus. According to Professor Takemoto, "Jill was a vital and important part of the Japanese program. Her sensitivity and love of languages enabled her not only to understand and speak Japanese, but to interpret Japanese culture for those who knew nothing about it. She had the potential to be the perfect bridge between the two cultures." |
Recipients of the Award |
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| 2006 | Kerry Shannon | 2005 | Lisa Johnson |
| 2004 | Torrin Shimono | |
| 2003 | Lisa Dodobara | |
| 2002 | Sarah Neeri | |
| 2001 | Wren McNally | |
| 2000 | Maja Rose Palmer | |
| 1999 | Erin Kusunoki | |
| 1998 | Christopher Wiggins | |
| 1997 | Marise Chan | |
| 1996 | Brian Bergstrom | |
| 1995 | Heather Lauerman | |
| Lindsey Rindflesh | ||
| 1994 | Rose Spidell | |
Lisa Johnson, 2005 Carlstrom Award recipient, with Roger and Connie Carlstrom.
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| September 6, 2003 |
| Ten Year Memorial Gathering |
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| Connie, Roger, and Terry Carlstrom pose next to the altar space that was set up at the Tekisuijuku for the 10 year memorial gathering for their daughter, Jill. Roger holds the new plaque that records the names of the winners of the Jill Carlstrom Award in Japanese Studies over the past ten years. The Carlstoms return to the Whitman campus every year to present an award to the top student in Japanese studies at Whitman College. |
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| Just in front of the small altar space are two wooden statues that Roger Carlstrom purchased to remember how strongly committed his daughter was to Japanese studies. The two statues, called Ni-o (Two Kings), represent guardian figures that remind people that the path of Buddhism cannot be walked without great strength and resolve. On the altar are pictures of Terry's daughter Emma Jill who, along with her mother Carla, waited patiently in Yakima on the day of the gathering. |
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| Roger and Connie Carlstrom made a special trip to the Tekisuijuku on Saturday, September 6, 2003, to remember and celebrate the life of their daughter Jill Carlstrom (June 16, 1971 to September 6, 1993). Jill's brother, Terry, joined them for the 10th year memorial gathering. Connie and Roger are looking at the Tekisuijuku photo album compiled when Jill served as the RA. Terry holds a new plaque that lists the names of all the winners of the Connie Jill Carlstrom Award in Japanese Studies. |
