Although I have a Japanese mother and grew up speaking and writing Japanese, the Japanese department at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë contributed to my future tremendously. I felt comfortable in the language already, but the Japanese department gave me community that I needed at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë. By attending department led events, living at Japanese House on campus, taking literature classes, as well as being a Japanese tutor at the Tutoring Center, I was able to spend time with others who were also interested in Japan, and they helped me see Japan in a different light. I fondly remember hosting Japanese Conversation Hour every week during my second year, where students could visit Japanese House and converse with others also interested in or taking Japanese at any level.

Finally, even after I graduated and attended grad school elsewhere, they introduced me to the Boston Career Forum where I found my current job in Japan. During my time in undergrad and grad school, I studied Mathematics and Biostatistics, so although I wanted to continue in those fields, I also wanted to Japanese as much as I could. I now work at a Japanese Contact Research Organization in Tokyo supporting pharmaceutical companies with new drug development specifically using statistical analysis. I am beyond grateful for the Japanese department and their support during my time in Vermont.