How was your internship experience?

Internships are more than practicing classroom learning—they're a real chance to understand how the industry works. Before my internship, I wondered: Do leadership styles we learn in school actually happen in real jobs? I found my answers at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, one of my most unforgettable experiences. I learned that working in a five-star hotel isn't just about completing tasks—it's about caring for people. The lesson "create a guest for life" changed my perspective and confirmed this is the career I want to pursue.

I chose TUJ for its academic flexibility, which is uncommon in Japan. The ability to switch majors, double major, or declare a minor fascinated me as a teenager who was uncertain about my academic interests. Majoring in political science, I researched African countries—topics unavailable in Japanese schools. This interest led me to study international development during a UK semester abroad through TUJ's exchange program. I learned about African development while connecting with diverse international students who shared their cultures and perspectives. TUJ's credit internship program also helped me discover what full-time work entails. I managed social media marketing for Emma Sleep, handling Instagram, Facebook, Twitter posts, designing event banners, and analyzing past PR influencer campaigns.

While I enjoyed understanding marketing dynamics and how advertisements reflect company opinions, I discovered greater excitement when directly engaging with customers, leading me toward sales rather than marketing. TUJ's flexibility allowed me to pursue genuine interests directly related to my current career. After returning, I discovered Kaneka has a significant hair extension market in Africa. Having studied African countries and learned about their hair culture from international friends, I was fascinated that Japanese technology helps preserve African traditions. This comprehensive path to my current position was made possible by TUJ's flexible academic system.

Having lived in Japan when I was younger, I wanted to return for my undergraduate studies, and TUJ was the perfect choice. I'm incredibly grateful to TUJ for the education it gave me, the sense of community it built during my college years, and the doors it opened after graduation. While at TUJ, I was part of the inaugural Program Board, a student group responsible for organizing events. I have so many great memories from that experience, especially connecting with students from across the community through the events we hosted. TUJ helped me confirm what I had always felt: that I wanted to work in international settings, which is why I chose the International Business Studies major. The diverse community and professors gave me the chance to constantly engage with open-minded people from all over the world. I had the privilege of doing my internship at the company where I now work full time in the consulting industry, driving innovation projects between Europe and Japan. Today, I also get to manage interns myself—a full-circle moment that I really appreciate. I believe internships are a great way for students to test their skills, explore different paths, and discover what they're good at while drawing from TUJ's diverse experiences.

I originally joined Temple as an International Business major, but by my second year I had switched to the Japanese language major. I had wanted to live and study in Japan for years and had originally planned on trying to get into some multinational company's Japanese branch. But the longer I stayed here, the more I fell in love with the Japanese language and way of life. More than just going into business, I wanted to pursue a career where I could utilize my Japanese language skills. Working at Hoshino has certainly provided that. At Temple, I would still use a lot of English in my day-to-day, but now I am living and working almost entirely in Japanese every single day. Sometimes it still feels daunting, but I take great pride in having gotten to the level where I can thrive in such an unfamiliar environment. Going to TUJ was a fantastic springboard for taking my first steps into living in Japan. The Japanese-language faculty are incredibly supportive, and it was through the career office that I discovered Hoshino Resorts. My life would have been very different if I had gone to another school.