On Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at Chuo’s Tama Campus G Square, the second round of students who enrolled in the 2013-2014 Chuo’s Student Exchange Nippon Discovery (SEND) program received a certificate of completion. The 32 students who participated in SEND were recognized for completing 420 hours of training in teaching the Japanese language. The program is designed for students to study abroad and also learn to teach Japanese at the institutions they visit.

Professor and Faculty of Letters Dean Manabu Tsuzuki gave a speech addressing the students, encouraging them to be able to express and promote Japan to friends overseas. “You need to have a solid knowledge of what you teach with passion. I hope that you will continue to see the places you haven’t seen and learn about places you did not know.”

Mako Kawaguchi, 4th year student in the Faculty of Policy Studies, represented the rest of the students and gave a speech. “The SEND program was an excellent opportunity to discover how beautiful and profound the Japanese language and culture is.” Thanking the faculty and staff who supported them throughout the year, Kawaguchi mentioned her wish to contribute to society with a fresh beginning after all that she gained from the program together with the SEND participants.

At the reception after the ceremony, Faculty of Letters Professor Shigenori Wakabayashi, who is also Chairman of the SEND Program Operations Committee and Special Advisor to the Chuo International Center, gave a presentation on the SEND Symposium that took place on March 12, 2015, which focused on “Revisiting Japan and Becoming Global Communicators.”

*About the SEND program

Students who participate in this student exchange program not only study the language and culture of the country they visit, but they are required to support Japanese language classes and participate in events introducing the culture of Japan. The goal of the program is for participants to develop an understanding of cultural diversity, as well as nurture experts who, in the future, will play a role in the global arena acting as a bridge between Japan and the country they visit.