I started out as a Microbiology major at UC Davis, but with the idea that I may switch to International Relations. I chose to study Japanese because I wanted to learn more about my heritage. I wanted to be able to speak to my grandparents in Japanese and learn more about the culture and history. After taking a few classes and making life long friends, I decided to major in Japanese. Since graduating in 2006, I moved on to the JET Program and lived in the Ibaraki prefecture for two years teaching high school English at 5 different schools, ranging from the number one academic school to lower level schools. Soon after returning to California, I started working for the City of Los Angeles, in the Election Division, as a bilingual outreach specialist in the multi-lingual voter unit. I was in charge of reviewing the Japanese translations of the official sample ballots, ballot measures, legal text and other election materials. In the off-season of the municipal elections, I worked as a project coordinator assistant for the neighborhood council elections, aiding in the administration of 90 neighborhood council elections. I currently work at UCLA Extension as a Program Representative for the American Language Center. I oversee the budgeting and administration of the English as a Second Language individual, workplace/custom programs, group intensive English enrollments, and the study abroad program. I also help with the administration for the UCLA Extension Tokyo Center. I work with a lot of international students and am the office Japanese interpreter/translator. As you can see, the Japanese program at UC Davis has prepared me for my career path and has given me the opportunity to experience a variety of work.
