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Photo of Matthew Kinzer in front of a welcome sign in Japan

From West Virginia to Japan

From West Virginia to Japan

A May 2023 graduate in finance and economics earned a highly competitive U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to travel abroad to learn a new language and immerse into cultural experiences. 

Matthew Kinzer, of Princeton, West Virginia, spent the summer in Japan before returning to WVU to pursue a graduate degree at the Chambers College. 

The scholarship program seeks to expand the number of Americans studying languages that are essential for the United States’ engagement with the world. 

“I had the amazing opportunity to study Japanese at Okayama University,” Kinzer said. “My time in Japan was truly life-changing, and I'm so grateful to everyone who helped me make this dream a reality.

“In just two months, I made lifelong friends, learned so much about Japanese culture and improved my Japanese language skills immensely. I'll cherish my memories of Japan forever, and I'm excited to use the knowledge and skills I gained to pursue my career goals.”

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Senior William Turman was honored with the Order of Augusta, WVU’s highest student award. An economics major from Barboursville, Turman has had an extremely active WVU career, participating in the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps, the Student Government Association and the Chambers College’s Behavioral Economics and Situational Testing (BEAST) Lab, which he also named. His next steps include being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, interning with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and pursuing his graduate studies in economics.

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