A Love for Japanese
The former Japanese professor at Mount Union, Dr. Furuhata, visited my high school Japanese class and introduced the Mount Union Japanese program to us. It is because of her that I knew about what Mount Union had to offer. Then, once I visited campus and talked with other faculty, students, and alumni, it became clear to me that Mount had everything I was searching for: great programs, great facilities, and most importantly, an amazing community. From the first semester, the Department of Education had us in the field gaining experience. The program truly prepared me for what exactly it was to be a teacher, and because of the field experiences, it made my transition from student-teaching to a professional setting smooth and relatively stress-free. Mount Union's study abroad program, moreover, prepared me to teach Japanese as it immersed me in the culture and language, which I am able to share with my students. My favorite memory would be spending time with my classmates and professors in and out of class, including in Japanese club and while studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai.
Achieving a Childhood Dream
I get to do what I love! Ever since I was very young, I have wanted to be a teacher. Now, I have been able to make my childhood dream a reality. Furthermore, I get to share my love of Japan, both the language and the culture, with the next generation of students, and I get to open doors for them like my teachers did for me. I teach the Japanese language and culture at the graduate level. I've been teaching Japanese language 101 and 102 as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Arizona, but I am now transitioning to teach Japanese at the high school level at Perry Local School District.