Double the smiles: 91传媒 graduates selected for prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching Program
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State spring graduates Lacee D. Johnson of Crawford and Olivia M. Steil of Brandon have many things in common, including a love of Japanese language and culture that聽inspired them to enroll in the university鈥檚 Asian Studies degree program.
After years of dedicated academic studies in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, the two friends recently completed their bachelor鈥檚 degrees in foreign language and also are celebrating their joint selection for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program for U.S. citizens.
鈥淢ississippi State is so proud of Lacee and Olivia. Their commitment to teaching in the JET Program and to building bridges between our nation and Japan serves as a model for how students today can make a difference at the local level鈥攊n schools all across Japan鈥攂ut also more broadly in the JET Program that has shaped generations of students鈥 cross-cultural awareness,鈥 said 91传媒 Professor of English Tommy Anderson, director of 91传媒鈥檚 Office of Prestigious External Scholarships.
鈥淚n addition to the innovative teaching that Lacee and Olivia will be doing in Japan, they are really on the front line of diplomacy and international understanding. This will be even more important in this era of COVID-19,鈥 said Anderson, who also serves as the College of Arts and Sciences鈥 associate dean for academic affairs. 鈥淚 know that whenever they are able to begin their terms as JET Fellows, Lacee and Olivia will be exceptional teachers and ambassadors.鈥
The typically receives 4,000-5,000 applications each year from American students, with 1,000-1,100 selected for participation. If travel is deemed safe, the JET Program intends to send Johnson and Steil to Japan in mid-September to serve as assistant language teachers. ALTs are primarily assigned to local boards of education or elementary, junior high or high schools and carry out their duties under the guidance of language teachers鈥 consultants or Japanese teachers of English.
Johnson, a summa cum laude graduate who also earned an environmental economics minor, said the JET Fellows application was an intense but worthwhile process.
鈥淔or the essay portion, they wanted to hear about your extracurriculars and leadership roles to see how driven you are,鈥 she said.
Johnson has served as event coordinator and historian for the 91传媒 Anime Club, an organization for students interested in Japanese animation, while Steil has served as president. Johnson also has volunteered at the Memphis Japanese Cultural Festival, and through 91传媒鈥檚 study abroad program, she previously studied Japanese and Korean as part of seminar courses in Akita, Japan.
鈥淭he Asian Studies program at Mississippi State has been perfect for me,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚t has helped me understand different aspects of culture and prepared me to interact with and help students as an assistant language teacher through the JET Program.鈥
In addition to Anderson, Johnson expressed appreciation for Fumiko J艒o, an assistant professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures who has been helpful throughout her 91传媒 experience, especially the JET Fellows application process.
Steil, a magna cum laude graduate, said she too is grateful for J艒o鈥檚 support. She also praised faculty in the university鈥檚 English department, where she has been completing a linguistics minor and a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate.
鈥淒r. J艒o helped me see how I can apply what I鈥檝e learned in my Asian Studies classes to the application,鈥 Steil said. 鈥淢y personal statement for the JET application went through different revisions, and Drs. Megan Smith and Tommy Anderson in the English department have been so supportive too.鈥
Steil said she studied abroad last summer for six weeks at J.F. Oberlin University in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo. She wanted to apply for the JET Program because of the benefits it offers, such as the assistant language teacher experience, scholarships, and opportunities to pursue more specialized degrees after program completion.
鈥淚 want to teach kids in Japan about the South and its culture. I think it鈥檚 really important to teach them how Americans live, what we value, and about foods and other cool cultural aspects of our country,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited that one of my friends from Mississippi State also was selected for the JET Program. News of our selection has been one of the best things to experience during this difficult health situation. It has been such a silver lining.鈥
For details on 91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, visit ; Department of English, ; Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, .
Learn more about the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, part of 91传媒鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, at .
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