Dr. Young has spent the past few years trying to get a study abroad trip to Japan off the ground after noticing while teaching students about Asia that they seemed to have a particular interest in the country.
“A lot of students are exposed to Japanese culture through anime and manga,” he said. “This program gives them an opportunity to move beyond that and see more.”
Before he could lead a trip to Japan, however, Dr. Young wanted to brush up on his own knowledge and language skills. He went to Japan last summer to plan the itinerary for the program, which he said was a great experience.
“I only had some basic knowledge of Japan, so this was a great opportunity for me to become more proficient in East Asia,” he said. “I’m eager to go back and show them everything I got to experience. We’ve really taken our time over the last few years getting this ready to go and making sure it’s going to be a good experience for our students.”
One student who has applied for the program is Alejandro Martinez Melgoza, a junior majoring in business administration. He decided to sign up because he wanted to further explore his interest in Japan.
“Growing up, I’ve always had a strong interest in Japanese culture. I used to watch a lot of anime movies based in Japan,” he said. “I had never pictured myself going to a big country like this, so when I learned the university was offering this trip, I automatically wanted to take the opportunity.”
Melgoza is especially looking forward to personally exploring some of the sites he’s learned about in his religious studies courses. He hopes other students with similar interests will take advantage of the program.
“It’s wonderful that this is being offered to students,” he said. “Not many of us know how to go on these kinds of trips, don’t know how to plan. A lot of us haven’t been out of the country. I think it gives students a chance to grow.”
Dr. Young personally understands how much of an impact study abroad can have on students. He signed up to participate in a trip to Sri Lanka when he was an undergraduate, which was the first time he had ever left the United States.
“To go all the way to the other side of the world was life-changing for me,” he said. “Study abroad can be very transformative. I want to be part of that for students here.”
Dr. Young believes study abroad programs are especially impactful for first-generation students such as himself who may not have had many prior opportunities to visit other countries. He also believes they can help prepare students for working at a global scale.
“I really want to promote more opportunities for our students to enter the global marketplace,” he said. “We should have students prepared to do international business, to work for the U.S. State Department or in embassies. This experience could help put them in a better position to qualify for that kind of work.”
Dr. Young hopes the inaugural trip will be successful so the program can be offered again in the future.
“We’re really hoping this takes off and can be something we offer every year or every other year,” he said.
To be eligible for the program, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and have either completed or signed up to complete a course from the Japanese minor. Click here for more information about CSUB’s study abroad programs.
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