About Me

Hello and thank you for visiting my E-portfolio.

Growing up in a suburb of a mid-size city in Japan, my window to the world widely opened when I encountered English in the 7th grade. I was fascinated to learn new words and new grammar rules. English gave me a confidence to communicate with more people and a channel to find out about other cultures. In college, I enjoyed model U.N. activities and a 10-month study abroad at the University of Washington.

I started my career at the Japan Foundation, a governmental organization promoting international exchange and Japanese language education, which provided me an opportunity to work at the Consulate-General of Japan at Chicago. Seeing thousands of people enjoying the Japanese festivals and meeting many students learning Japanese, the experience taught me the importance of grassroots exchange, which plants the seeds of curiosity towards other cultures.

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One of the reasons I decided to study for master's degrees is that I realized there are many gaps in the field, a gap between governmental policies and student behavior, and a gap between the study abroad office and the career center in a university. I wanted to learn why these gaps exist and how we can solve them for better results. Two years at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey gave me the opportunity to gain new ideas and frameworks that I can apply to my next career. I am graduating with Master of Arts in International Education Management and a Master of Public Administration.

By promoting language education and international exchange, I would like to contribute to the next generation with better intercultural communication skills. My goal is to be a bridge connecting people, not only in Japan and the U.S., but also people in different fields, industry, and background.