Scholarship to CEDEC Tokyo and GDC Europe

So I am missing out on Japan's biggest game developer conference and GDC Europe which is is Cologne, Germany this year. Although I was really honored to get these scholarships from IGDA it would not be responsible for me to buy such an expensive plane ticket. I already made a commitment to be a volunteer at SIGGRAPH. It was a nice confidence booster, and I was told I should apply again next year. I am hoping maybe GDC will work out. Apparently you can apply up to 6 months after graduating.  I think I am most sad about missing out on a mentor. I asked to have a female mentor and was really looking forward to it. It's okay though. I must stay positive, and I think SIGGRAPH will be great for me.