こんにちは！

Thanks to the help of the Wellesley Tokyo Club, I was connected with an alumna who works at the American Embassy in Tokyo. I was very excited for this opportunity because I am currently doing an internship at the State Department in the same Bureau. Additionally, being a EALC-J major myself, I am always curious to hear about the professional journeys of alumnae who were also Japanese majors. The EALC major is so versatile and gives students access to many different disciplines, and I have found that EALC alumnae are always doing fascinating work in their careers.

Throughout the course of our conversation, we mainly discussed the essential role of Japan in East Asia. Japan is one of the United States’ most important allies, and it is the Tokyo Embassy’s role to preserve and strengthen that relationship. One of the many great things about the State Department is that Foreign Service Officers have the opportunity to live and work all over the world. We talked about her experiences living in a number of different countries in the Asia-Pacific region and how her role changed depending on each posting. We also discussed what it’s like being a female Foreign Service officer and living as a  foreigner in Japan.

Ultimately, this was a very fascinating and informative conversation. I am thankful to the alumna for her time and for kindly connecting me with other professionals in Japan. ありがとうございます！

Look out for more posts about my experiences!

One of my favorite things about Japanese society is its penchant for adorable mascots. Did you know that the mascot for U.S. Embassy Tokyo is a jelly bean named Tom? He is a jellybean because there are many different types of jellybeans, much like the diversity of people in the United States.