I studied Japanese for four years in high school, but it was my time in the Japanese department at UVM that really made the idea of Japanese being a part of my future career and life feel concrete. From the start, I was impressed and appreciative of the scope of the program as a school in a state that has few material connections with and support from Japan. In addition to the primary language courses, I was able to take courses focused on specific skills and topics such as writing and reading kanji, speaking, culture and manners, literature, and translation. Although I couldn’t study abroad during my time at UVM, the department provided me as many opportunities as possible despite the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic caused to education across the board. Additionally, I was able to deepen my appreciation of Japanese culture through my extensive time spent with the UVM Taiko club, where I learned to play a variety of Japanese ensemble drum pieces, both traditional and new.

Two of my proudest accomplishments at UVM were receiving the Peter Seybolt Academic Award of Asian Languages and Literatures and completing an honors thesis based on research I had done about historical topics in Japanese manga. Realizing that research like this was incredibly fulfilling to me, I would go on to apply and get into the Japanese Language and Literature Master’s Program at the University of Washington in Seattle to continue my academic and research career. I would not have been able to accomplish this without the support or training that the Japanese department faculty at UVM provided me, and I have continued to value the time I spent in these classes, which even now feel like opportunities I couldn’t get elsewhere.

From summer 2024 to summer 2025, I studied at the Inter-University Center (IUC) for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan, a program recognized as one of the most advanced and effective intensive learning programs for Japanese in the world. At the IUC, I was able to connect with scholars and professionals from all over the world and highly polish my language abilities. Following my time at the IUC, I returned to UW, completed a master’s thesis, and finished my master’s degree in June 2026. I was accepted into the PhD program for Asian Languages and Cultures at UW, where I will continue my studies by branching into Japanese cinema and teaching Japanese language and content courses as a Teaching Assistant and PreDoctoral Instructor.