Cody Gray hopes her experience living and studying in Japan as a New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholar highlights the importance of promoting accessibility and inclusion in study and internship opportunities for undergraduate students.
Cody, who is a quadriplegic, has been living in Tokyo since August, where she has completed a semester exchange at Rikkyo University, as well as undertaking language training at Coto Academy and interning at Argentum Wealth Management.
It's an experience that's been transformative for Cody on both a professional and personal level. She says she has gained valuable insights into her own capabilities, developed her Japanese language skills, and immersed herself in Japanese culture.
“I've learned a lot about myself by challenging myself with moving internationally – it's been a huge change.”
A business and financial planning student from the University of South Australia, Cody's decision to choose Japan as her host location was driven by her interest in retirement planning.
Recognising Japan's established aged population and Australia's own demographic shift in that direction, she sought to explore the country's policies and learn how to best use them back in Australia.
“I thought that it would be good to see what kind of financial planning policies they have in place for retirement and see if there was anything that we could change or implement that would make it better for us (in Australia),” Cody says.
From the moment Cody found out she was awarded an NCP scholarship, she began meticulously planning. While a move overseas to a country with a different language and culture is a huge undertaking for anyone, Cody also had to factor in how she would navigate Japan as a wheelchair user without the support of her network in Australia.
“I spent an entire year planning every single little detail to make sure that the move would go smoothly for me because I can't necessarily just wing it,” she says.
“If something goes wrong for me, it's probably going to be a major thing. It'll be like my wheelchair is lost in the airport or I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and with no way to get home. So I just made sure that absolutely everything was planned in advance.
“It's about taking charge of your whole experience and ensuring that you have enough preparation to be able to succeed. I've definitely had ups and downs – and that's where the NCP values of adaptability and resilience come into it.”
In addition to carefully researching the culture and infrastructure, Cody proactively arranged medical support, establishing connections with doctors with assistance from her host university.
Her planning has paid off – Cody returns to Australia this month having successfully completed her 10-month scholarship program in Japan.
“I think that accessibility wise, Japan was the right choice for me. The people are just so friendly, everyone's willing to help and to go out of their way to help you,” she says.
“The public transport is incredible – it's all accessible. And My university also changed the classrooms that my classes were in if it didn't have an elevator and they ensured that I was set up with a medical specialist at the international hospital so that I could go see them for monthly appointments.
“Rikkyo University really went above and beyond to make sure that everything was going smoothly for me.”
Cody says the extra support she received through the NCP, including access to Maven, has helped facilitate her scholarship program in Japan.
An accessibility and inclusion service, Maven, connects scholars with experts who have lived experience of disability, to develop individual plans, solutions to overcome barriers and support to access additional funding.
“The support that's been provided has been really amazing – my case manager has been fantastic and has connected me with the Maven team that specialise in disability,” she says.
For other students who have a disability considering applying for the NCP scholarship, Cody offers this advice:
“If you really want to do something like this, to have this international experience, I'd say just go for it,” she says.
“This is an incredible opportunity – a once in a lifetime opportunity – so you just have to apply. You will never know if you don't try.”
