Meet Wander ワンダー

Wander is Padnos International Center's own Study Abroad Mascot.

Designed by GVSU Alumni, Kobe Wright. Kobe studied at JCMU during his time at GVSU.

She is inspired by Japan and its use of local mascots. We hope she will inspire students to study abroad -- and you'll see her all over our promotional materials.

Kobe is an illustrator and designer -- check out his work here: Kobe Kartoons - Imagination is Endless!

Check out his instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/kobekartoons/

Meet Kobe Wright

Very early on in Kobe's life he developed a love for drawing. In elementary school, he began creating his own original characters and discovered a desire to become an illustrator. His passion for art ties into his interest in Japanese culture, since Japan has many pop culture icons — such as Doraemon — that inspire his own art.

Through studying Japanese at GVSU, he quickly discovered that studying Japanese was an art form; Writing the kanji, hiragana, and katakana of Japanese felt like drawing. In 2023, Kobe had the opportunity to study abroad in Japan through the Japan Center for Michigan Universities program, where he lived in Hikone for 4 months. His time abroad was life changing, as he met many unforgettable people, and became immersed in the society, history, culture, and language of Japan more than ever before.

Currently Kobe is applying to teach English abroad in Japan through the JET program in 2025, so that he can return to Japan and continue his cultural immersion. 

If you feel inspired by Kobe's work and inspired by your own study abroad and want to design stickers for PIC, Contact Kristen Cloutier [email protected] - We might be able to make it happen!