Edinburgh student wins Thomas Blake Glover Aberdeen Asset scholarship

An Edinburgh student with ambitions to work in Japan’s world-famous digital media industry has won a prestigious scholarship to study in the country.

The Thomas Blake Glover Scholarship, which Aberdeen Asset Management is sponsoring for the eighth year, has been won by Mark Livingstone who will embark on an intensive language study course in Tokyo this summer, building on his own self-study of Japanese.

The 19 year old is a former pupil of Whitburn Academy and is studying digital media at Napier University.

He harbours hopes of working in 3D design and animation in the entertainment industry, an area in which Japan is recognised as a global leader.

Through self-study, he has learned sufficient language skills to understand concepts in imported Japanese games in their original language and he is looking forward to the opportunity to visiting the country for the first time.

Mark admits to being fascinated by the country, its history and tradition, and is delighted to have been selected for the scholarship from a strong field of candidates attending universities across Scotland.

He said: “This scholarship will offer me life-changing opportunities. In the future I’d like to be able to work with Japanese companies in 3D design and animation and this is an area that Japan excels in, often creating experiences that no other country can offer, and Japan has a thriving business sector that I would like to become a part of.

“This is an opportunity to visit a country that is so different to our own and to be immersed in the language which I hope will mean I learn more quickly and will be able to converse with businesses with the view to working in the Japanese entertainment industry. It’s something I know will improve my future and my career prospects and I can’t wait to face it head-on.”

Last year’s winner Alex McMillan from Edinburgh described ICU as “great place to study” and said it helped him to develop his Japanese language skills by building his vocabulary to the point of being a comfortable conversationalist.

Initiated by the Japan Society of Scotland, and supported by Aberdeen, the scholarship enables one Scottish student the chance to visit Japan to study language, culture and tradition during a six week fully-funded course at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

The scholarship is named after the Scottish entrepreneur Thomas Blake Glover who was born in Aberdeenshire in 1838. Glover settled in Nagasaki in 1859 and played a critically important role in opening Japan to the west.

Known as the Scottish Samurai, he introduced the first railway locomotive, started the Kirin brewery and influenced the industrial development of Mitsubishi.

The scholarship aims to recognise these successes by providing young Scots with the opportunity to learn about business and culture in the hope of further improving Scotland’s historic links with Japan.

Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert, said: “The Scholarship offers an exceptional opportunity to study in a nation which has one of the world’s largest economies. Mark is a worthy winner and we wish him well as he prepares to embark on his studies in Japan, developing his knowledge of the country’s language and culture.”