Maya Katzir, class of 2009, is currently a Coordinator for International Relations with the JET Program
Why did you decide to major in Japanese?
I began studying Japanese in high school, including going on a two-week summer homestay program in Yamanashi Prefecture. The more I learned about the language and the culture the more I feel in love with it, and after my homestay experience it was my dream to study abroad in Japan. I became a Japanese major in order to fulfill this dream, as well as to learn more about Japanese history and literature in addition to the language.
How did being a Japanese major shape your time at Wellesley?
The Japanese Department (people who took the classes, the majors, and the professors) was a tight-knit group of incredibly bright people who shared the same interests as me, and I loved every minute of my time with them studying kanji and working through The Tale of Genji, among other things. I ended up spending my junior year studying at Japan Women’s University in Tokyo, an experience that not only changed me as a person, but greatly deepened my connection to Japan. Senior year I was able to complete a translation-based thesis, something I never would have been able to do without the support of my friends and advisor.
How did majoring in Japanese influence your career after Wellesley?
After a couple of years in the “real world,” I applied to be a CIR on the JET Programme in order to return to Japan. If my study abroad experience shaped and deepened my connection to Japan, the past 3+ years I’ve spent in Nagano Prefecture have done that tenfold; I’ve gained valuable work experience translating, planning community events, giving talks about American culture in Japanese, taught English to Japanese adults, and helped support other members of the Programme in my area, as well as getting an opportunity to travel throughout Japan. I strongly believe that if it weren’t for my time at Wellesley I would have never been able to take the leap into this excellent opportunity. To all my kouhai at Wellesley: studying Japanese can take you a long way, so if you see an opportunity, go for it!