Alumni Highlights
Clarice Okada, Japanese, BA English Lit, 2013
Clarice Okada
2013 Graduate
Language: Japanese
Major: English Language and Literature
After graduating from Grand Valley, Clarice was accepted to the JET Program to teach English in Japan. She lived there for three years, where she first taught at a junior high and then an elementary school full time. Clarice continued her Japanese studies by being immersed in the language, and later obtained JLPT N3 certification. During this time, she also met her current husband, who was studying at a nearby university. They held their wedding ceremony in Japan.
Although not currently using Japanese professionally, Clarice uses Japanese in her personal life constantly in order to talk to her Japanese family. She says, "If it wasn't for my language study at GVSU and the amazing professors I had, I never would have wanted to pursue a career in Japan. If I hadn't moved there or been able to use Japanese, I wouldn't have been able to connect with my Japanese coworkers as I did, or made so many connections with so many wonderful people. Indeed, I wouldn't have married the love of my life! Studying Japanese at Grand Valley certainly changed my life for the better."
Updated April 2019
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