My study abroad and internship program at The Ohio State University was a dream come true. After six months of taking lectures through ISS Program and continuing to learn, I was finally able to make that dream a reality.
Focusing on how my major, hydrology, can contribute to building a sustainable society, I explored various perspectives such as “Hydrology × Environmental Planning,” “Hydrology × Local Communities,” and “Hydrology × Water Infrastructure” through classes and individual meetings. I was deeply impressed by how OSU students took the initiative in discussions. In the latter half of my stay, I pushed myself to speak up in English with the mindset, “It’s okay to make mistakes—what I don’t want is to regret not doing it.”
In addition, in connection with my ISS-PBL presentation, I focused on mobility and conducted surveys and interviews with students from both the University of Tsukuba and OSU. I later presented the findings back at Tsukuba University.
The connections I built with professors and students through this experience are something I hope to carry forward into my future research.
Above all, I’m truly grateful to my OSU friends I met through events like the ISS Summer Festival and JADE, and to all the wonderful people I met in Ohio. It’s thanks to you that my long-held dream of an ideal study abroad experiences in the U.S. came true.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This experience will always be one of the greatest sources of inspiration in my life.
