Student Stories
Discover how past students expanded their perspectives, experienced new cultures, and created meaningful connections through their international experiences. From navigating daily life abroad to building lifelong friendships and personal growth, these stories highlight the lasting impact that global learning opportunities can have both inside and outside the classroom.
We managed to fit a lot of cultural excursions into a packed schedule (including a section of The Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Forbidden City), alongside language learning classes. There were so many sights and conversations that I would've never been able to experience outside of this trip that have helped me understand Chinese culture and values.
Our teachers from Beijing Normal University, Wang Laoshi and Yue Laoshi, traveled everywhere with us and were great teachers of Chinese culture and language. Aside from that, they were also cheerful, funny, and extremely kind people, and I miss them already.
The exchange program left an indelible impression on me. I aspire to become a simultaneous interpreter to break linguistic barriers by seamlessly conversing with my friends and helping them study English. If you’ve enrolled in JAPAN 101R, I implore you to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. You won’t regret it.
One of the major roadblocks in my language learning journey has been finding the courage to speak without doubting myself. My Mandarin wasn’t perfect, but it reinforced this idea: you don’t need to be perfect to try, but you must be willing to try in order to become perfect. I still have a long way to go but I'm so grateful for this experience and would definitely go again in a heartbeat.
I have developed a newfound appreciation for Japan and the Japanese language. I am excited to continue my Japanese studies, aiming to revisit Japan in the future— whether through another study abroad program, an internship, or as a tourist.