A visit from the Embassy

Today we were joined by two special guests from the Embassy of Japan - Alyssa Katindig, Event Coordinator for the Japan Information & Culture Center, and Tomoko Nakamura, Second Secretary of Public Affairs. Both of these women have had successful and interesting careers that began with time spent studying abroad. They shared their stories with us, and we learned how a love of global languages and cultures has shaped both of their lives. The students of the Academy are all highly motivated students with a love of Japan, and seeing where those interests can lead, and how they can blossom into a whole career, was certainly very valuable food for thought. Everyone was very thankful to our guests from the Embassy for taking time to come be with us.

After our morning meeting with our informative guests, it was on to our first core Japanese language classes of the Academy. Students put forth a wonderful effort to meet the expectations of our staff as they began to learn and use new vocabulary and grammar right from the start. This first day of language classes will set the bar for each of our Academy members, and everyone is clearly ready and willing to rise to the challenge.