Background and areas of interest:

I am originally from Japan and came to the U.S. about 5 years ago. I received my BA in psychology and MA in rehabilitation counseling and mental health from University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. I was an international student and first-gen student there. I love working with people from diverse backgrounds and creating better things together.  

What brought you to the U of O?

I originally planned to go to UO for my bachelor’s degree because UO has a great psychology program and I loved UO’s school atmosphere that appreciates each person’s value and diversity and works to become a more inclusive and welcoming school to all students from various backgrounds. My dream to go to UO as a student did not come true but I applied for an advisor job here, which I thought would be a good fit for my background and got it! So my dream to come to UO finally came true after 5 years! 

How did you get involved in academic advising?

When I came to the US, I did not speak as much English as I do now and my family does not speak English. Communication was hard, taking classes in English was hard, doing any school-related tasks by myself was hard, and living in the states was hard. Also, I was a first-gen student. I needed so much help as a student. My academic advisors from my BA and MA helped me through my school life holistically and they are one of the biggest supports I received here. I wanted to help students like me in the way I was helped.