Victor Jimenez Alba is a Computer Science and Engineering major at UC Merced who is studying abroad at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Victor was born and raised in Escondido, California where he learned an appreciation for Japanese culture from his mother. At Keio University, he hopes the courses he takes will advance his knowledge of computer science. He plans to evaluate graduate programs both at Keio and in other parts of Japan. At Keio, Victor is enrolled in a Japanese art of humor class with fellow Borton Scholars Saha Kumar and Lesa Ritchie. He writes, “Life here in Japan has been extemely enjoyable and refreshing. I feel a lot more excited to attend class because I feel the classes are a lot more personal.”
Saha Kumar (Japan, 2024-25)
Saha Kumar is a Japanese Studies major and Political Science minor at UC San Diego studying at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. From a very young age, Saha had a passion for foreign language studies and especially the Japanese language and culture. Saha deeply treasures the learning of foreign languages, placing high value on communicating and connecting with people. She aspires to contribute to the field of international relations, especially as it relates to U.S.-Japan diplomacy, and looks forward to studying Japanese foreign policy while at Keio University. She aims to achieve JLPT N1 level fluency by her return to the United States in August 2025. Additionally, Saha has a niche, vivid passion for the art of Japanese swordsmithing. She is currently writing a thesis on the poetic significance of swords in classical Japanese literature, which she aspires to publish in a research journal prior to graduation. Saha is very excited to experience the Sapporo snow festival, visit sword-history-rich sites like Hakone, and explore the beautiful Japanese countryside. Saha writes, “One of my favorite experiences so far was attending a Japanese organized Indian Diwali (festival of lights) festival in Yokohama. Japanese people performed classical Indian dance such as Bhangra, played the thabla, spoke Hindi and Japanese interchangeably, and explained the story of Diwali. I was hugely moved to see people have so much joy and passion in celebrating my culture and languages, the same way I was passionate about theirs.”
Eliza Parungao (Japan, 2024-25)
Eliza Parungao is a second-year International Studies Major at UC Irvine studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. She was born in Irvine and raised in San Jose, California. Eliza is committed to bridging cross-cultural gaps, particularly with international and/or English language learner students in the United States. For the past year, Eliza has worked as an English conversation partner under one of UCI’s exchange programs. Her time in this role gave her the unique opportunity to interact with Japanese students of the same age; she used this position to grow her students’ confidence in English and make new friends. As the first person in her family to go abroad, Eliza is thrilled to attend Waseda University for the entirety of her third year of university. She is most excited to rekindle friendships with the Japanese students she met during her time at UCI, and to go cafe-hopping.
Erin Moore (Japan, 2024-25)
Erin Moore is a fourth year International Business major with a minor in Japanese Studies at UC San Diego studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Her grandparents greatly influenced her decision to study abroad, and she is eager to connect with her Japanese heritage. Erin is looking forward to reconnecting with friends she met during a two-week exchange program in 2019, including her homestay family, who has continuously been supportive and even taken trips to visit her in California. Erin’s hobbies include film photography as well as collecting records of her favorite artists. Erin has been actively involved in the Nikkei Student Union (NSU), a Japanese American social-cultural club at UC San Diego, where she has taken on various leadership positions and connected with her Japanese roots. Erin writes that she is “excited to interact with diverse people and make friends from all around the world in my classes as well as through various clubs. I hope to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and take advantage of my time abroad by trying new things and seeking new experiences.” In Tokyo, Erin has become friends with fellow Borton Scholar Eliza Parungao and they are exploring the city together.
Lesa Ritchie (Japan, 2024-25)
Lesa Ritchie is a double major in Japanese Studies and History, with a minor in Education Studies at UC San Diego studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan at Keio University. Born and raised in San Diego, she was able to take Japanese classes at her high school, inspiring her to become a Japanese language high school teacher. She enjoys taking on leadership positions such as Japanese National Honors Society, captain of the UCSD club tennis team, and being active in the Education Studies Association at UCSD. Lesa says, “Being eager to gain cultural experiences and opportunities to advance my Japanese is what will help me become an authentic secondary Japanese world language teacher.” Lesa loves competing in tennis and pickleball, and is hoping to continue abroad, along with picking up other hobbies in Japan as well.
Sophia Chang (Japan, 2023-24)
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.
Megan Hsu (Japan, 2023-24)
Megan Hsu is an International Business major with a minor in Finance at UC San Diego studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan at Keio University. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Megan also frequently traveled to Taiwan and Japan, fostering her interest to study and work in a global setting where she can deepen her knowledge of foreign customs and lifestyles. Megan has worked as an international trade intern, and through this internship, solidified her passion for international business and helping businesses expand overseas. She strongly believes that the experiences she will gain through studying abroad will deepen her cultural awareness and understanding of global business. Since the age of three, Megan has been in contact with the Japanese language and culture. This upbringing has influenced her goal of working in Japan in the field of international business. One of Megan's hobbies is photography, and she hopes to document her journey as she travels around Japan, makes new friends, and experiences everything that Keio University has to offer. At Keio, Megan has joined the photography and aikido clubs. She writes of her early experience: “Overall, I am enjoying myself in Japan because each day is always so eventful and fun. The food is amazing, and the transportation is extremely convenient! However, there are some things that I am still struggling with. I've noticed that the classes here are much less structured than at UCSD. For example, the syllabus is extremely vague and assignment grades are never released.”
Kyle Lin (Japan, 2023-24)
Kyle Lin is a Computer Science major at UC Riverside who is studying at International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, Japan. In 2017, Kyle participated in his city’s cultural exchange program with Toyokawa, a one-week homestay in a Japanese student’s home, which he says was one of the best weeks in his life. Even though he had never been to Japan before and didn’t speak Japanese, he felt a sense of belonging and acceptance from day one. Though he’d been exposed to other languages before, something about the Japanese phonemes and the shape of the hiragana and katakana resonated with him. At the end of the week, he left Japan with a spark of interest in its culture and language. Since then, he started learning Japanese and joined Japanese cultural clubs to learn about Japanese history, traditions, and pop culture. He is now eager to spend a full academic year in Japan to be able to truly immerse himself in and learn from the culture and customs, form deep relationships, and hopefully become fluent in the language. He was able to connect with and get advice from outgoing Borton scholar Akito Yatsugi.
Drew Shinozaki (Japan, 2023-24)
Drew Shinozaki is a third-year English major at UC Berkeley studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Drew is thrilled to immerse herself in Japan while pursuing a deeper knowledge of the field of literary translation. She hopes to closely study how cross-cultural academia affects the perception of specific literary texts. With her understanding of Western society and values, she is excited to witness first-hand how easily interpretations of literature can differ due to culture, mindset, and untranslatable nuances only truly understood in their original languages. Drew is passionate about creative writing and psychological fiction and plans to improve her understanding of Japanese while also gaining a more complex awareness of how to realistically write East-Asian narrators in her short stories. At Waseda, Drew has connected with fellow Borton Scholar Sophia Chang as well as family members she had never met before. Drew writes, “I met my family from Japan! It was a really touching experience to finally get the chance to meet my father’s side of the family. They are very kind, and I love them a lot. In Japan, young people have a coming-of-age celebration where they visit a shrine in kimono. However, since my 20th birthday has already passed, they plan to hold a coming-of-age celebration for me on my 21st birthday instead. I am very grateful and honored to have that experience next year.”
Carlo Francisco (Japan 2020-21)
Carlo Francisco is a Japanese Studies major at UCSD. He was born in the Philippines but has spent the majority of his life in San Diego. Prior to his birth, Carlo’s parents spent the majority of their professional lives in Tokyo and, as a result, he feels “a great sense of gratitude towards Japanese society for giving my parents the financial capability to bring me into this world.” The study abroad opportunity will give Carlo the chance to experience firsthand the culture that was such an important influence in his family history. He hopes to build the knowledge and skills needed to achieve his personal goal of giving back to Japan. After graduation, Carlo hopes to work as a CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) to promote cultural cooperation and international understanding between Japan and the United States of America.
Carlo was unable to fulfill his study abroad plans due to the pandemic.
Matthew Zane (Japan, 2020-21)
Matthew Zane is a UCSD Computer Science/Japanese Studies major who plans to study in Japan at Waseda University. He is half-Japanese, but was not taught much about his ethnic cultures and language, and as a result has made is a goal to reconnect to his family’s culture. As a staff member of the UCSD Japanese Student Association (JSA), a student organization that plans and runs events for Japanese students and people who are interested in Japan culture, Matt regularly practices his Japanese and talk to Japanese foreign exchange students. Hearing about their experiences studying abroad has inspired him to study abroad for a full year. During his time abroad, Matt hopes to take his language skills to the next level and join some of the circles (Japanese clubs) to meet Japanese students and other foreign exchange students. During the summer of 2020 he is interning at a tech company in San Diego and hopes to continue at their Tokyo branch during his time abroad.
Matt deferred his study abroad plans to the 2021-22 academic year due to the pandemic.
Devin Doss (China & Japan, 2019-20)
Devin Doss, a UCSD double major in Japanese and Chinese Studies, is studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He studied this summer at Peking University in Beijing, China in the Summer Chinese Language Intensive Program. He describes his time in Beijing as an enriching experience and his language development as rapid. His long term goal in pursuing languages is "to develop the ability to better and truly communicate with a broader variety of people." While in Japan, Devin hopes to join a club to better integrate into the school's social life on campus. Over his lifetime, he has played multiple instruments and sang in different choirs and performed in many venues. He writes: "I plan to explore a new aspect of music I have yet to greatly do much in; dance!" Following his studies abroad, Devin hopes to find an internship back home in San Diego related to his aspirations to work in translation and interpretation. Longer term, he would like to pursue a Master's in International Business so that he can use his language skills in a business context.
Tammy Mok (2019-20 Japan)
Tammy Mok, a UCSD Computer Science major with a Japanese Studies minor, is studying at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. During her year abroad, Tammy wants to conduct research and take language and culture classes to set her on the path to fluency in the language. In addition, Tammy "hopes to learn from the stories of those around me, explore a whole new culture, and grow a more global perspective." She notes that the class sizes are much smaller than UCSD and she is exploring clubs and circles (a more casual version of a club) with an eye towards joining the Aikido club and the Cooking circle. Amongst other keen early observations of cultural differences, she writes that "many people have said to beware of the lack of garbage cans on the street, but I didn't expect there to be almost a complete lack of them."
Isabella Silva (Japan, 2018-19)
Isabella Silva, a Japanese Studies major, is studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. She has a love of languages and has studied Spanish and ASL in addition to Japanese. This passion extends to her career goal: after graduating she plans to move to Japan and South Korea to become an English teacher, "striving not only to instruct my students on the topic of the class, but additionally to be a role model and cultural ambassador." At UCSD, she was an English in Action (EIA) tutor to a student from Turkey and a student from Taiwan. During weekly meetings she answered specific grammar questions, explained cultural norms and conducted conversations to help them improve their English. Since arriving in Tokyo, Isabella has been "impressed with how much I know, yet at the same time there are many moments that are lost in translation." She writes that she appreciates these conversations because they "challenge me and help me grow." In addition to her course load, Isabella has applied to intern at an elementary school.
Megumi Kawamura (Japan 2018-19)
Megumi Kawamura, an International Business major, is studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. A native of Northern California, she has been active in the UCSD community, serving on the executive board of the Student Organized Voter Access Committee. Megumi grew up playing competitive tennis, golf, and basketball, and most recently competed in a 100-mile bike race. She wrote before leaving for Japan that she "hopes to become more aligned with her heritage, become fluent in Japanese, and explore Japan and its beautiful culture." Megumi was nervous but found that her fears and worries were quickly put to rest when she moved into the Hoshien international student dormitories during her first week. Since arriving, she has taken a trip to Kyoto, and visited her grandparents who live about an hour outside of Tokyo. She writes that she has "met some incredible people from all around the world, had so many great experiences, and have learned so many things about myself and my outlook on life that I would have never learned without this experience." During the rest of her time abroad Megumi hopes to go to Mt. Fuji during the winter and visit Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan during the spring break.
Emily Yeh (Japan, 2017-18)
Emily Yeh is a Political Science – International Relations major studying at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. Emily grew up in Taiwan before moving to Irvine, CA in 10th Grade. Prior to college, Emily took a gap year and interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan. Besides studying in Japan, she has studied in France and Switzerland during her college career. In 2014, Emily was appointed by the International Olympic Committee as Youth Olympic Games Ambassador and was part of the Chinese Taipei delegation at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. She has participated in the UC Washington Program (UCDC) and interned at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a trans-disciplinary research think tank. Prior to departing for Japan, she was a research assistant at the UCSD Department of Political Science working on a project funded by the UCSD Frontiers of Innovation Scholars Program that seeks to make sense of the political communication on Twitter during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Her career and research interest lies at the intersection of sustainable development, environmental policy, and urban planning. Emily is “dedicated to the knowledge transfer of her off-campus experiences and tries to make more students aware of the resources available.”
Mikayla Webster (Japan 2016-17)
Mikayla Webster is a Computer Science major studying at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. She intends to use her programming knowledge to advance the field of language translation. At UCSD, she led a collaborative project with the Red Cross of Tijuana. Her team’s goal was to create a software solution to help better distribute the Red Cross’ limited number of ambulances. The experience inspired Mikayla to pursue an international career in software engineering. Her love of language learning narrowed her focus to automated language translation. Her goal is “to facilitate higher, faster, and easier levels of communication across nations and cultures by tearing down the language barriers that separate them.” Mikayla has a personal goal of learning at least five languages in her life: English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic. She writes that, “learning new languages gives insight and perspective that can only be accomplished when individuals step outside their own area of comfort and experience. By gaining knowledge about different peoples beyond one’s current understanding, the mind can better facilitate tolerance, acceptance, and universal love.” She is living in the international housing area at the university and has befriended students from China, Indonesia, Germany, France, Poland, Spain, and Venezuela. Mikayla has met Japanese students through an English-Japanese language exchange group that meets regularly, including several students who were good friends with previous Borton scholars attending Tohoku (Christian Koguchi, Austin Pukasamsombut, and Vincent Yu). She is working in the Advanced Acoustics and Intelligent Systems Lab at Tohoku University, with a focus on psycho acoustics. The prompt for her research is the human brain’s ability to filter sounds that it hears. Mikayla is working under a Japanese master student who is attempting to recreate this affect in headphone speakers. She will spend the upcoming months learning from this master student while defining her own similarly-themed project.
Sophia Osborne (Japan 2016-17)
Sophie Osborne, an International Studies/History major with a minor in Japanese Studies, is studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. A native of Sacramento, California, her family spent four years living in Tokyo during her childhood. She has focused her studies on spaces of multicultural intersection such as ethnic relations. At Waseda, Sophie will draw on her knowledge of Korean culture to pursue independent research of a Zainichi (ethnically Korean Japanese) neighborhood. At UCSD, Sophie worked part-time as a student lead on two specialty food trucks and was a staff writer for the Opinion section of the school newspaper. She has volunteered at the Chinese Historical Museum, where she worked to revamp the walking tour of the Asian-Pacific Heritage District. At Waseda, Sophie has started classes, settled in her dorm, enjoys frequenting a cat café “where you can sip coffee while petting the store’s many feline residents”, and joined a club that practices Nihon Buyou (traditional Japanese dance). She writes that she is amazed by “the contrast between the informal, everyday slang of my Japanese friends and the centuries old language of the traditional dance they practice.”
Vincent Yu (Japan, 2015-16)
Vincent Yu is a Computer Engineering major with a minor in Japanese Studies studying at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. In high school he built a headphone amplifier from scratch and took programming courses in community college before transferring to UCSD. At UCSD, he is a member of the Japanese Student Association, participates in Eta Kappa Nu (an electrical engineering honor society), and trains and races on his road bike with the UCSD Cycling team. In Japan, he went on an outing with the Tohoku University Cycling Club to Fukushima, where they climbed a mountain so high it was snowing at the summit. He recently passed his second interview for an internship with Google Tokyo. Vincent writes of his early experiences in Japan: “making every moment count, this is how I should live my life, abroad or not. What a wonderful lesson this trip has taught me even in just the beginning of the program.”
Daniel Lee (Japan, 2015-16)
Daniel Lee is pursuing a degree in Computer Science with minors in Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Computing and is studying this year at Keio University in Japan. Daniel was born and raised in Taiwan and studied at an international school during his high school years. Daniel believes in the importance of understanding the digital world holds a deep passion for computer science. He is currently interested in artificial intelligence and machine learning and believes that the mastering of this technology will bring humans a step further into the future. Since Japan is a hub of technology and a leader in artificial intelligence, he plans to take courses in artificial intelligence and big data during his year abroad. Daniel also enjoys the arts. He started playing piano when he was four, beginning with classical training and progressing later on to rock, pop and accompaniment. He would like to try composing in the future. Daniel started drawing at a young age and enjoys doing sketches, watercolors, acrylic, painting, and digital art. He believes that “being multi-faceted will help me gain a better understanding of the world and the people around me.” He is excited about his year in Japan and the opportunity to immerse himself in a different culture.