立教大学

I had experienced difficulties in choosing a major as I had been interested in multiple disciplines. As a possible path, I had considered going to not only domestic liberal arts institutions but also universities abroad . As I searched for universities, I came across GLAP, and I was very attracted to the fact that I could receive a liberal arts education domestically in English and in a small group. In freshman year before studying abroad, I was able to s olidify the basics of academia through Tutorial classes. Tutorial classes enable a thorough walkthrough since it is a class with three to five students per teacher.Through the English Liberal Arts (ELA) course, I had the oppo rtunity to engage in discussions with students from other faculties and in ternational students from various backgrounds, which helped me develop the courage to share my opinions and the facilitation skills to further deepen the discussions.

Tutorial and ELA courses helped me to participate in classes at Leiden University College, my study abroad institution, with confidence in an environment where the maximum number of students in each class is 20.Students at Leiden University come from all over the world, and some of them belong to the Department of Japanese Studies. In the course of discuss ions in class and conversations with friends, I was surprised to find that man y were not aware of the contributions and efforts that Japan is making to t he world and the environment. From this experience, I have been constantly e xamining how Japan can survive in the global society, and this has greatly influenced my field of study choice

I chose Citizenship among the three fields of study available at GLAP, as Citizenship offers a wide range of study from the macro field of society and community to the micro field relating to people. For my thesis, I was initially planning to do research on healthcare systems and policies for international students and foreign workers as I originally focused on public health during studying abroad in the Netherlands. However, it was difficult to do so under the circumstances of the COVID-19, so I wrote my thesis under the topic of gender based on my interest in gender from the Sociology of Gen der class I took as part of my Citizenship class after returning to Japan. I undertook the research based on home economics education and its influence over home life values and career visions of the students. Through the research , it became apparent that there is a large gap between the ideal image of what is required of home economics and the reality and recognition level of home economics in society, and I believe that bridging this gap is necessary for the fut ure of society.

I have been doing a long-term internship in the research depart ment of a foreign strategic consulting firm since January of 2021. Initially, I was preparing to enter a graduate school overseas, but through my internship, I realized the importance of gaining more experience in the structure and movements of society. Through this experience, in order to deepen my understanding regarding the business world, I decided to continue working. In the global work environment, I believe I was able to apply my communication skills that I developed during GLAP and study abroad, as well as my broad research and presentation skills.

I have served as a Student Assistant (SA) for GL111 twice in the academic year of 2020 and 2021. I took on the challenge of being a SA because I wanted to pass on to other students the experience that I genuinely enjoyed when I took the course, and I wanted to continue learning as a person from the “other side” through designing the structure of the classes.

Normally in a class, the teacher prepares the course materials and teaches the students through lectures and discussions. In GL111, the SA prepares the class over di scussion with professors in advance and facilitates the 100-minute class.

*as of the time of this interview