NEWS

The public screening for the ANDO Momofuku Honor Prize and Award took place in December 2024. These awards were established through a generous endowment by the late Dr. Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin Foods Holding Co., Ltd. and recipient of an honorary doctorate from Ritsumeikan University. These awards are administered with the cooperation of Nissin each semester. The Award is given to fifth-semester students and the Honor Prize is awarded to students graduating in March 2025. The purpose of these awards is to provide support and encouragement to students who have excelled academically, possess outstanding character, have displayed strong leadership which has contributed to achievements in a variety of activities, and are expected to become future leaders of the Asia-Pacific region. Recipients of the Award will receive 500,000 yen. The recipient of the Honor Prize will receive 1,000,000 yen and have the honor of representing the graduating class in an address at the Degree Conferral Ceremony.

The ANDO Momofuku Honor Prize / Award

In the public screening, each finalist who passed the rigorous initial screening made a video presentation on the theme of "Cite an example of your efforts in either your academics or extracurricular activities that you engaged in while a student at APU. Explain how you will leverage your takeaways from those efforts in the future to contribute to society.” Presentations were then followed by a Q&A session with the judges in both English and Japanese.

Mr. ICHIKAWA Fumito, manager of the General Affairs Division at NISSIN FOOD HOLDINGS attended the Honor Prize screening as an observer and offered his comments and words of encouragement to the finalists at the end.

There were four finalists for the Award and the Honor Prize each. Congratulations to the following two recipients!

Honor Prize

MUHAMMAD AJNAS AHMED (College of International Management 4th year, India)

Building on his extensive experience, which includes participating in numerous business competitions and serving as the representative of Indian Week, Ajnas founded a community exchange called “GENECT,” an organization that bridges the gap between the elderly and APU students. His dedication and outstanding accomplishments have been highly praised, even earning him awards from Beppu City. In the future, Ajnas is expected to be active as a social entrepreneur, putting the knowledge and skills he acquired at APU into practice. He will lead initiatives in social contribution, particularly those that support vulnerable communities.

Award

JHA ASHMI (College of International Management 3rd year, India)

In addition to dedicating herself to her studies, Ashmi has also actively participated in application development contests and international business competitions, achieving remarkable success. As the APU Student Future Visionary Vice President at APU, she was highly praised for her proactive approach, strong communication skills, and clear vision. Ashmi has set strong goals to contribute to society in the field of healthcare management in the future, where she is expected to play an active role as a leader.

IDOS JOHN REY SADANG (College of Asia Pacific Studies 3rd year, Philippines)

John has consistently received high praise for his efforts to improve his communication and leadership skills through his roles as a Resident Assistant (RA) and Teaching Assistant (TA), all while balancing his academic studies. In addition, he is deeply committed to addressing environmental issues and revitalizing local communities, with the future goal of acting as a bridge between his home country and Japan. With his warm and approachable nature being one of his key strengths, John is expected to make great strides moving into the future.