Sophia Chang is a Biological Anthropology Major at UC San Diego studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Sophia was awarded a Borton Scholarship for 2021-22. Covid prevented her from being able to go to Japan. She tried again, unsuccessfully, the following year. Next, she took a gap year during which she became a fantastic pastry chef. Last year she re-enrolled at UCSD and applied to Waseda University where she arrived in September! Growing up in Taiwan, she experienced various aspects of Japanese culture and fell in love with Japan when she visited a few years ago. As an anthropology major, Sophia strives to learn and understand human relations and traditions within a certain location. In this case, she is interested in how Japanese culture and history have shaped Japan’s image in the modern world. She is also excited to practice Japanese which she has been learning since the beginning of freshman year. She has ice skated since she was seven years old, was an active member of the Ice-Skating Club at UCSD, and hopes that she can continue to pursue her skating career even in Japan. She looks forward to traveling to different cities throughout the changing seasons and exploring the local specialties that Japan has to offer. She believes that living in Japan will provide her with new and unique experiences that cannot be understood through a book alone. At Waseda, Sophia has made lots of friends at her dorm including exchange students from different parts of the world. She writes, “It is so interesting getting to hear their stories and learn more about their countries and cultures.” She has particularly enjoyed local festivals and shared the following vlog documenting one such event: Waseda Festival Vlog.