Why did you choose to study or intern abroad?
I chose to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan, to achieve the accomplishment of being the first in my family to pursue this opportunity. Coming from a low-income background and being first-generation, I wanted to study in a country my family only dreamt of traveling to. I hope that being able to share this journey of experiencing Japan's traditions, cuisine, and iconic landmarks becomes a solidifying experience of self-growth for me.

What IS ONE NEW EXPERIENCE YOU'RE HOPING TO HAVE WHILE ABROAD?
I hope to be able to connect with local tailors in Japan to gain further insight into mending, pattern making, and proficiency in tools while learning about them. While I’ll also be learning Japanese, I hope I can have sufficient conversations with locals to deepen my understanding of life and culture in Japan.

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU'RE PASSIONATE AND EXCITED ABOUT?
As my secondary major is ethical fashion production and marketing, I hope to gain more knowledge in ethical consumerism in Japan. As spending more on quality goods rather than quantity is important, I hope I can take away the meaning of minimalistic products and their functions to consume less. I wish to connect with local artisanal artists and upcoming designers to gain further perspective on the challenges and barriers of pursuing alternative business models, especially on the ways their design process shifts when priorities become ethical labor practices, small batches in production to reduce environmental impacts, and usage of natural fabrics and dyes to reduce health and environmental toxicity rates.

What CLASS ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO TAKING while ABROAD?
I am most looking forward to International Journalism, as I’ll be introduced to photo-video journalism and filmmaking. I'm excited to gather stories, interviews, and data to create feature stories, while taking photographs and developing photo-essays. I’m also intrigued by our video shoot projects of making short video reports that will cover global issues and the role of global mass media.