Yoshiko Himata
Program Director

おめでとうございます(Omedetou-gozaimasu) / Congratulations!
     My name is Yoshiko Himata and I am excited to welcome all the participants to the Japanese Academy in Summer 2017. I am a native of Toyama prefecture and I am passionate about teaching the Japanese language.  In my free time, I enjoy cooking Japanese cuisine and I engross myself in the art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.  
     Now, a little bit about my academic background.  I taught English and Japanese at the Toyama University of International Studies (TUINS) High School, I studied Global and Intercultural Studies at Ferris University in Japan, and I earned a Teacher’s certificate at Nihon University.  Presently, I teach intermediate Japanese class at Randolph-Macon College.  As I have already expressed, I am passionate about the Japanese language and love to challenge my students every day.  During this program, I will be a bridge between the participants and Japan, with the sincere hope for students to cultivate an educational journey that will allow them to grow more well-rounded and discover a passion for Japanese studies.
     I am looking forward to meeting all of you.  See you on campus!
Dan Hill (ダン・ヒル)
Teacher

ダンヒルです。よろしくお願いします。
日本語の生徒達へ
My name is Dan Hill.  I teach English and Japanese at Miami High School, in Miami, Arizona.  I am so excited to come back for my second year teaching Japanese at the Virginia Governor’s Language Academy.  I’ve been to Japan five times.  Most recently, in September, I went to fulfill a dream of hiking to the top of Mt. Fuji.  I love all things Japanese: The food, the amazing landscapes, the reverent and beautiful temples and shrines, the culture, but especially the people. 
 
Who will tell you how good your language skills are when you can barely say, “Hi, how are you?”  Who will tell you how good your cooking is, when you left the oil out of the crust recipe, and you can barely cut through a piece of pie with a steak knife?  Who will miss their own train to make sure you, the American tourist, gets on the correct train to wherever you’re going?  A Japanese person will. 
 
I can’t wait to meet you at the Academy, help you study the language, and share with you my passion for all things Japanese! 楽しみにしています。ヒルより
Kumiko Gale 
Teacher

Hi, My name is Kumiko Gale. I was born in Fukuoka (in Kyushu, southern island of Japan), and grew up there. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree at Fukuoka University in Pharmacology. I married an American/Japanese man, whom I met in Tokyo. Even though I never imagined that I would ever live in US, my husband and I moved here in 2000. Since I could not continue my career as a pharmacist here, I explored what I could do. Starting as a member of the school cafeteria staff, I became a Teaching Assistant, and then finally a Japanese teacher in Virginia Beach. I have been teaching at Bayside Middle School in Virginia Beach for 10 years. After I started with my teaching career, I still wanted to continue my academic study; so I went back to school and earned my Master’s Degree in instructional technology from Virginia Tech. Now I am working on my second Master’s Degree at Nihon University in Japan through online courses in the culture and information field. I have noticed that to keep studying and earning new knowledge is fun. I hope I can pass some new knowledge about Japanese language and culture this summer to you!
Yukiho Yamaguchi (山口幸穂)
Teacher

My name is Yukiho Yamaguchi. This is my first time joining the Japanese Academy. I am excited to see you all and make wonderful memories this summer! I was born and raised in Shiga prefecture in Japan. I earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Ryukoku University in Kyoto. I had lived in Kyoto, and it became my second hometown. It is a beautiful city with a mixture of ancient and modern aspects of Japan. My career in teaching Japanese started since I joined ALLEX (Alliance for Language Learning & Educational Exchange) program and completed teacher training courses. After the program, I taught Japanese at a university in Wisconsin and Indiana. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) program at the University of Idaho and teaching a first-year composition class. I enjoy learning new cultures and languages as well as introducing my own culture and language. I also like eating, baking, jogging, and playing badminton!
Christopher Wynn
​Lead RA

こんにちは！ Hello, my name is Christopher Wynn and I'm from Virginia Beach, Virginia. I am a rising sophomore at George Mason University, majoring in Global Affairs and minoring in Japanese Studies. I have been studying Japanese since middle school. Since then, I have participated in things like Japan Bowl, the Academy in 2014, and the JET Memorial Invitation Program during which I went to Japan. Next year, I plan to study abroad in Tokyo at Sophia University. My hobbies include soccer, basketball, and playing video games. アカデミーを楽しみにしています！
Emily Merrick  (エミリ・メリック)
RA

皆さん、こんにちは！
I am currently an honors student at George Mason University, majoring in English, with a concentration in Linguistics. I will be graduating in the spring of 2019 with a BA, and hope to continue my education and enroll in the Accelerated Masters program at my school. I have studied Japanese since middle school, though was only able to start taking classes officially when I was in college. My dream is to become a Teacher's Learning Assistant with the JET program and help teach English to Japanese students overseas. I am a big fan of anime, writing and calligraphy, singing, and anything with Miyazaki Hidetaka's name on it. Though I attended the Governor's School in the summer of 2014 as a student, this will be my first time as an RA in the program. I look forward to getting to know everyone!
どうぞよろしく！
Kaitlin Hoagland
RA

My name is Kaitlin Hoagland, I am 21 years old and am a rising Junior at Randolph-Macon College. My hobbies include reading, drawing, playing with my dog Sadie, and watching anime. I have been interested in the Japanese culture and language ever since I was a kid and my brother introduced me to anime. Since then, my interests have evolved from just loving the tv shows and comic books to learning about the language, culture, and country of Japan itself. I attended the Japanese Academy as a student myself the Summer of 2013, and it was a life changing experience. I made a lot of friends, learned more about the culture, and even discovered which college I wanted attend in the future. It was an amazing Summer for me, and I am looking forward to visiting Japan for my first time in January 2018. ありがとうございます！