I lived in Japan for 6 years working as an English teacher in elementary and junior high schools in Kasukabe, Saitama prefecture, under the JET program. I was originally interested in international relations so I started looking for graduate schools that offered a masters degree program in English and are oriented towards the themes of internationalization, education and globalization. The Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies has a broad curriculum and it provides me with the flexibility to choose courses that are related to my research interest. Although I was also considering Sophia University and the International Christian University, I eventually decided on Waseda University as there were professors here who specialized in my research interests. Now, I am hoping to finish my dissertation and start job-hunting.

Although GSAPS offers courses in both English and Japanese, I am now close to my 30s and returning to student life has been difficult in the sense of finances and motivation. However, thanks to the flexibility of GSAPS, I am able to select the courses that are most suitable for me and I can customize my curriculum.

Waseda University offers a lot of choices. In society as in academia, I think it’s great to be in an environment where you can immerse yourself in a different culture while learning Japanese.

I hope to work in an international environment where I can watch other develop while I am developing myself. My keywords are “Challenge””Study” and “Global”!