Hi all,

I wanted to announce that I am studying abroad a second time during my undergraduate education! This time around, I will complete my senior capstone required for my public health major while abroad in Japan. My college offers a Public Health Perspectives: Japan experience each year and I am thankful to have been selected during their competitive applicant process. I am part of a group of 18 students to participate in the program in May.

This experience relates to some of my G.O.A.L.S.! This education abroad connects with my Global Awareness area because it will enable me to understand more about the world. I have never been to anywhere in Asia before and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to immerse myself in a drastically different cultural context. It will likely be a culture shock to not be in a Western culture for the first time!

I grew up in environments that were not so diverse. This changed a bit when I went to Columbus for college. Still, I want to challenge myself by going to Japan and learning about its diverse cultures firsthand. While I have studied abroad once before, it is a goal of mine to continue gaining these experiences of traveling internationally. I want to be able to adapt to unfamiliar environments and navigate them. Furthermore, I want to engage in more cross-cultural exchange.

My participation in the program will also fulfill my Academic Enrichment area of Honors & Scholars. Within public health, I specialize in sociology, and not environmental health. However, I do want to complement my education and be more well-rounded of a person and professional. All public health majors have to take a core curriculum which includes classes in their specialization as well as the other/opposite specialization. By the time May rolls around, I will have taken Current Issues in Global Environmental Health, Climate Change and Human Health, and Environmental Risk Assessment. These courses, along with my knowledge from International Healthcare that I took in my first year, will aid me significantly as I analyze and examine issues and topics in Japan. Some of the subjects I will explore in detail include clean water, waste management, diet, mercury poisoning, and disaster response.

I am looking forward to furthering my knowledge about the health facilities and public health system in Japan. I also look forward to the opportunities my group will have to hear stories from people impacted by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake as well as other traumatic events. Listening to people’s stories firsthand is very impactful for me and leaves quite an impression; it helps me understand new perspectives even more and understand how I can address specific subgroups in the future. In any career, listening and empathy skills are vital. This is especially emphasized in public health and when working with vulnerable populations.

Although my program is 14 days, I will be spending an additional 10-11 days in Japan to do some sight-seeing and discovery on my own. In the months to come, I will share what I am doing to prepare for the program and throughout May, I will be blogging and vlogging about my experience.