- April 19, 2024
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Grant Godbee, 17, spent his summer vacation in style — touring Japan and weaving himself into Japanese culture, thanks to a scholarship award.
BY MIKE CAVALIERE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
It wasn’t until he looked outside the window of his intercontinental jet to Japan to see the tree-lined Pacific coast approaching that 17-year-old Grant Godbee truly appreciated the specialness of this trip.
“Wow,” he thought. “I’m in a different country right now.”
A lifelong Ormond Beach native and incoming junior at Mainland High School, Godbee has always been fascinated by Japanese culture. But he actually got to experience it firsthand last month, thanks to a $7,500 Japan — America Friendship Scholarship from Youth for Understanding.
His first time out of the country, Godbee won the trip after submitting several essays for scholarship consideration. His interest in Asian culture was strengthened, he says, thanks to a Japanese class he took at Mainland High School — the only course of its kind in the county.
Once in Japan, he was thought of as a junior ambassador to the United States. He saw the sights — his favorite of which was a place called Oga, where he learned local folklore and toured ancient samurai homes. And he attended school classes — the most rewarding part of his trip, because of all the time he got to spend with Japanese students.
“The kids there were just so friendly and so nice to me,” Godbee said. “Just being able to be a part of the school life there ... and everyone being so interested in America just felt really good.”
He returned from the trip at the end of July. And already, he’s thinking about his next opportunity to go overseas — ideally, to Italy.
Godbee hopes to pursue moviemaking after high school. And although he’s still considering his options, his sights are set on New York for college.
