Japan-Palau Alumni Series: Vol.15 Ms. Loyola Darius
2024/8/21
Ms. Loyola Darius is one of the successful alumna of the Japanese Government Scholarship offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) to bring Palauan students to further their education in Japan since 1982. She went to study in Japan under the Research Program Scholarship from April 2007 to March 2011. Ms. Loyola attended Kobe University, where her research focus was on cultural sites management and preservation, specifically on protecting and managing the traditional meeting houses in Palau, called “bai”. More specifically, how to preserve the raw materials that are used to build it and how to keep “bai” from being threatened by modern infrastructure development in Palau.
After graduation from Palau High School, Ms. Darius went to further her studies at University of Hawaii Hilo as a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Communications. She knew and was interested in the Japanese Scholarship program so she came to the Embassy a few times to get applications, but on her last visit to the Embassy, she was encouraged and jokingly scolded by someone she knew at the Embassy to finally complete her application. Ms. Loyola attended Kobe University, first as a research student then after she passed her entrance exam, she officially became a Master’s Student. She graduated from Kobe University with her Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies.
She has many fond memories of her stay in Japan such as, visiting UNESCO world heritage sites, like Himeji castle in Hyogo, Shuri Castle in Okinawa, and her favorite site, Shirakawa-go in Gifu. Her favorite food is “Okonomiyaki”, a savory pancake, that has many different toppings. Ms. Loyola told us “ I disliked okonomiyaki but after eating it all the time it became my favorite food.” She has visited Japan a few times after her program and is planning to go back next year to hopefully visit her host family and also go to Universal Studios Japan with her children. Her host family have visited her in Palau.
Currently, she works for an international nonprofit organization, called Island Conservation, as the Palau Program Manager. Her job revolves around protecting the biodiversity of Palau by removing invasive species, the main focus being rats, because “rats cause disease, and harm endemic plants and animals” she informed. Ms. Loyola has visited different sites in Palau such as Ngerkeklau island and her upcoming project will be in Sonsorol State, where she will reside for 2 months to complete her next project.
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Japan and Palau diplomatic relations, Ms. Loyola thinks that Japan and Palau should continue helping each other as they always have. Ms. Loyola says that we should strive to “be like Japan when it comes to respecting their culture.” Palau is moving forward but we should strive to keep Palauan tradition and culture alive like in Japan where both modernity and cultural heritage are showcased and celebrated.
After graduation from Palau High School, Ms. Darius went to further her studies at University of Hawaii Hilo as a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Communications. She knew and was interested in the Japanese Scholarship program so she came to the Embassy a few times to get applications, but on her last visit to the Embassy, she was encouraged and jokingly scolded by someone she knew at the Embassy to finally complete her application. Ms. Loyola attended Kobe University, first as a research student then after she passed her entrance exam, she officially became a Master’s Student. She graduated from Kobe University with her Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies.
She has many fond memories of her stay in Japan such as, visiting UNESCO world heritage sites, like Himeji castle in Hyogo, Shuri Castle in Okinawa, and her favorite site, Shirakawa-go in Gifu. Her favorite food is “Okonomiyaki”, a savory pancake, that has many different toppings. Ms. Loyola told us “ I disliked okonomiyaki but after eating it all the time it became my favorite food.” She has visited Japan a few times after her program and is planning to go back next year to hopefully visit her host family and also go to Universal Studios Japan with her children. Her host family have visited her in Palau.
Currently, she works for an international nonprofit organization, called Island Conservation, as the Palau Program Manager. Her job revolves around protecting the biodiversity of Palau by removing invasive species, the main focus being rats, because “rats cause disease, and harm endemic plants and animals” she informed. Ms. Loyola has visited different sites in Palau such as Ngerkeklau island and her upcoming project will be in Sonsorol State, where she will reside for 2 months to complete her next project.
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Japan and Palau diplomatic relations, Ms. Loyola thinks that Japan and Palau should continue helping each other as they always have. Ms. Loyola says that we should strive to “be like Japan when it comes to respecting their culture.” Palau is moving forward but we should strive to keep Palauan tradition and culture alive like in Japan where both modernity and cultural heritage are showcased and celebrated.