Alumni

As a Japanese major, I was often asked what I was going to do with my career. Because I had so many different ideas about my life at the time, I wasn't always sure how to answer, especially because my level of Japanese was not always as good as some of my peers. However, it was the passion I had for learning about the Japanese language and culture that kept me refining the answer—the answer I would give to others and to myself. One thing I knew was that Japanese has always had great personal value to me. It is a gateway to a history, a way of life, and ultimately other people that I have wanted to know for a long time. To me, the desire to put this knowledge to use kept me going through all the rough patches, and guided me to the finish line. With the recent turn of events, I did not realize the power that idea held, for there are many occasions at work and in my personal life where it is my familiarity with Japanese that has given me a strong advantage. (Had I known that, I would have certainly complained less about kanji.)"

“CSULB was the right school for me. As a non-traditional community college transfer student, I was able to pursue my goals in Asian American Studies and discover my passion for Filipino language at CSULB. I learned so much from the awesome professors, as well as students, in the Asian/Asian American Studies Department. With their guidance and support, I fulfilled my dream of higher education and continued my journey of self-discovery. In the short term future, I look forward to working on a post-graduate project exploring how Asian American Studies started at CSULB in the early 1970s and to continue studying Filipino language. In the long term, I plan on using my knowledge and skills in the field of Education.”