As a Language and International Business student at Clemson University, a quintessential component of the program is the completion of an internship with a company in your target language. The internship allows students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to an environment specific to the language component of the degree, in this case, Japanese.

During my senior year at Clemson, I had the great opportunity to intern with Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC), a bilingual virtual exchange program that pairs a Japanese high school language class and an U.S. English language class. KAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC that cultivates international friendship and cross-cultural awareness among youth of all backgrounds.
My role within KAC was as a Senpai (mentor) in their Global Classmates exchange program. My primary responsibilities during this internship was as a bilingual role model, facilitating interactions between students online.
While I worked in the role of a Senpai, I was able to gain practical experience refining my bilingual communication, cross-cultural understanding, and strengthening leadership skills.
Below, you will find my essay in Japanese, detailing my time with KAC.