Spotlights
Austin Saycocie
Santicouk “Austin” Saycocie went on the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, and worked as an Assistant Language Teacher for high school students within Shiga Prefecture. He arrived in July 2017, spent most of his time planning the curriculum and teaching in front of the classroom.
Austin writes that, “Every day is a challenge because I work in an environment where English isn't the main language. However, living here has allowed me to improve my Japanese which I started learning at GVSU. During my time here, I've completed an online TEFL certification and created a scholarship for Japanese students who want to study abroad. It's thanks to the IR curriculum and staff that I am able to live in Japan and experience first-hand the culture, opinions, and attitudes of the people around me.”
Austin received the GVSU IR Scholarship for Study Abroad in Japan in 2016.
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