Chosen as one of only six distinguished scholars and professionals nationwide, Marlay is the single participant selected to the group’s program from the southern region of the U.S.

"The program gives the opportunity to spend three weeks in Japan to learn about Japanese education, meet university presidents and government officials, and become immersed in the Japanese culture," Marlay said.

Cultural events Marlay will be attending range from visiting a Japanese fish market to Kabuki theater to tea ceremonies. The group will also travel outside Tokyo to Kyoto and Hiroshima during the second week of their stay in Japan.

The group’s program in Japan is scheduled to begin June 15 and will end July 6. According to Marlay, the process will actually begin in May at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators national conference, where the selected six will go through a pre-departure orientation.

Upon arrival in Japan, the group will meet with Japanese faculty and students who have been selected to travel to the United States as incoming Fulbright Scholars.

Selection to the program began Nov. 1 with a lengthy application process which required submission of an application and three letters of recommendation to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C.

From there the CIES made a recommendation to the Fulbright Japan-U.S. Educational Commission which made the final selection. The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board reviewed the final selection and approved the scholarship award at the end of February.

Fulbright holds three international education programs per year in Japan, Korea and Germany.

Marlay wants to accomplish at least two goals through her experience with the program. Both goals should benefit not only herself but the ASU and Jonesboro communities as well.

"A trip abroad reminds you of what it’s like to be a foreign student. My first goal is to gain more of an understanding of the Japanese culture in order to be better in tune with our students from Japan," Marlay said.

Her second goal is to be available as an on-campus resource for business people in the community, ASU faculty and students. To this end, she hopes to do some public speaking when she returns.

In addition to her current responsibilities as director, Marlay is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and serves as advisor to the ASU International Student Association.

Marlay regularly speaks at conferences and workshops and is revising the national curriculum for one of NAFSA’s immigration workshops. She has served as an academic advisor for the ASU Saudi Arabian Customs Project and as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines.