College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

As I am writing this, it has been four years since I have graduated from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). It has been a very busy four years, full of change and struggles, but most of all, growth. Young me, who began to study Japanese to fulfill the California State education requirements, would never have imagined that I would move on to major in Japanese Language and Culture at CSUMB, work as an ALT in the JET Program for three years, or even study Japanese with Stanford University's IUC 10-Month Program. 

I chose to pursue my passion of learning Japanese, despite the doubts and concerns of those around me. Their apprehension was that I might be limiting myself career-wise. Rather, I find that in this period of intercultural communication and globalization, the opportunities are countless if you are open and tenacious in your pursuit.

Thanks to the help and guidance of my professors at CSUMB, I was able to become a JET Program participant. The JET Program has a saying that is both incredibly frustrating but undeniably accurate. That is “Every situation is different.” It does not matter if you are located in the same prefecture/city as others or not, each person's experience is as unique and intricate as a snowflake. 

To many, an ALT is a temporary existence and can evoke nervousness due to the language barrier. It takes some patience, a positive attitude, and persistence on the ALTs part, but eventually you can build a number of wonderful relationships and memories. I was incredibly lucky to have met a number of wonderful locals who took me under their wings and supported me as I adjusted to that new lifestyle. 

Moreover, teaching English to Elementary and Junior High schoolers has a degree of mundaneness that stems from the never-ending repetition of foreign language lessons. However, through involving myself in school activities outside the classroom (volleyball club, chats with students in the library, various school events like the music and sports festival, local community activities such as kimono classes and weekly meetings to speak English with locals, volunteer coaching activities etc.), I was able to build a connection with my students and colleagues. I cherish the time I had on the JET program, and I am grateful I was able to check off all of my goals: learn to be independent, improve my conversational Japanese, and become a member of a community. 

Once I felt that I had completed my objectives from my JET program experience, I began to consider my options for the next chapter. I want to continue to work in and with Japan, so improving my Japanese even further is a requirement. I talked with an upperclassman of mine from CSUMB, who was the first person from my school to be accepted into this 10-month program. He gave me great advice and told me how studying Japanese with IUC opened many doors for him. I am incredibly blessed to have been accepted into the program and am currently finishing my first semester of classes. My Japanese ability has been poked, prodded, and exposed in a number of ways, making me realize many of the small nuances of the language I never had before. In just 2 months, I feel that I have improved a great amount, and am excited to continue to improve even more over the next 8 months.  

Studying a different language and living in a different country changes you. You need to be willing to accept, adapt, and change yourself, but also not be disheartened by the vulnerability that comes with lack of understanding or ability. Though it has only been a short time since my graduation, I feel that I have learned so much thanks to my time with CSUMB, the JET Program, and IUC. Hopes for the future are only as limited as you allow them to be, so I am excited to see what opportunities I will have from here on.