A third year student majoring in human biology, Yoshie Yamamoto is studying at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. During her year there, Yoshie will be participating in biological research in addition to “taking advantage of the opportunity to take Japanese language classes in order to attain fluency in reading and writing.” Although Yoshie has visited Japan in the past with her family, she writes that during her year abroad she “wishes to experience Japan with the intention of learning about the deep-engraved history of Japan while reconnecting with her ancestral past.” After a six week intensive language program in Tokyo during the summer she was able to visit a grandmother and aunt in Yamaguchi Prefecture and another aunt in Fukuoko Prefecture. She believes that, “One year is enough for me to completely engross myself in the sights and sounds of Japan, as a resident of Japan rather than as a tourist.” Yoshie is doing research in a laboratory focused on the developmental biology of limbs. She writes that she is conducting a variety of experiments through which she is “trying to see how a limb bud develops into mature fingers/toes/limbs.” After graduating from UCSD, Yoshie plans to attend veterinary school and hopes one day to have her own private veterinary practice.