My spring semester at Tohoku University ended very sentimentally as I had to spend my final moments with the friends I made. Before going our separate ways, we decided to spend our last weeks packed with all the fun that Japan had to offer, and so we decided to do something that everyone had on their bucket list.... climb Mt. Fuji! And so we did. Together as a group, we had a 10 hour climb up to the top of Mt. Fuji, where we were able to see Japan's beautiful sunrise. It was the brightest (and reddest) sunrise I had ever seen, making it very memorable. After that, we enjoyed our last days by enjoying some of Japan's summer fireworks and Sendai's Tanabata Festival, where the city was extravagantly decorated all around. It was as if the city itself was sending us off. The friends I made abroad gave me a broader outlook on the world and helped me improve myself as a person. I'm glad I met them all, and I'm sure we will all meet again someday.
Before our program's closing ceremony, we all gave a small presentation for our research projects. My research project on Autonomous Quadcopters for Indoor Navigation did fairly well and interested many people. If you would like to know more about my research project in depth, you can see my attached research report. It includes all the details of my project, as well as the problems I encountered towards the end that caused me to be unable to achieve indoor navigation as planned. I learned a lot from my 1-year research program, especially about the work environment in Japan. I gained useful experience in working in a graduate-level laboratory doing research on robotics that can be used to help people. It helped me decide that I wanted to do project-based positions for my future career, especially relating to research and development.
Overall, I can say with confidence that I have grown tremendously both as a person and as an engineer during my one year study abroad program in Japan. I feel more confident and prepared as ever to continue my education and set out into the working industry. This experience wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for your aid in funding my trip. I was able to focus on the things that were important to me thanks to the scholarship