{"id":28329,"date":"2023-09-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28329"},"modified":"2023-09-22T06:42:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T06:42:10","slug":"japanese-college-students-gain-personal-professional-development-through-summer-internship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28329","title":{"rendered":"Japanese college students gain personal, professional development through summer internship program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n James McGee, manager of the Visual Information Division at U.S. Army Garrison Japan, shows Chihiro Suzuki, right, a sophomore at Toyoeiwa University and an intern at the USAG Japan Public Affairs Office and another intern VID\u2019s engraving machine Aug 7.
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan \u2013 On the last day of their four-week internship program here, the Japanese college students who had participated earned high praise from the U.S. Army Garrison Japan commander for their efforts.<\/p>\n

In his remarks at the interns\u2019 graduation ceremony held Sept. 1 at Kizuna Hall, Col. Marcus Hunter told the students they were part of the program\u2019s best and most successful iteration yet in its 10-year history.<\/p>\n

Indeed, an unprecedented 34 students from 26 universities throughout Japan joined the garrison\u2019s internship program this year \u2014 the most participation since it began in 2013. There were so many applicants, in fact, that an interview process had to be held in order to determine who would be chosen for the program\u2019s limited slots.<\/p>\n

The program was developed to immerse Japanese college students in an environment in which they can gain professional experience in a joint work environment while developing their English-language skills.<\/p>\n

Ryuji Hori, assigned to the USAG Japan Public Affairs Office, was the coordinator for this year\u2019s program and credited its continuous growth to a combination of technology and word of mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program\u2019s visibility has increased over the years thanks to social media and [previous] participants sharing their experiences with their schools,\u201d Hori said.<\/p>\n

Hori said he received a lot of positive feedback for this year\u2019s program, both from the interns and the supervisors and employees in the 24 offices throughout Camp Zama that participated. The work the interns did in a variety of fields \u2014 marketing, engineering, science, emergency services, graphic design and journalism, among others \u2014 made this year a win-win, Hori said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach intern becomes a member of their respective team, so their success is a critical factor in the success of the program,\u201d Hori said. \u201cWithout the teamwork between the interns and their host offices, the program will not be as successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Japanese college students participating in U.S. Army Garrison Japan\u2019s four-week summer internship program attend the orientation held Aug. 7 at Kizuna Hall on Camp Zama, Japan.
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Chihiro Suzuki, a sophomore at Toyoeiwa University who interned at USAG Japan Public Affairs, said she thought participating in the program would be a good cross-cultural experience, taking the fortuitous opportunity when previous plans to study abroad fell through.<\/p>\n

Suzuki wants to be a writer, and she became determined to intern at Public Affairs after she read the job description for the position there. During her time working in the office, she said she gained much more experience than she expected, learning about the many aspects of PA operations, including translation and interpretation, community engagement, event coordination, and print and video journalism.<\/p>\n

As she started working and gaining a better understanding of USAG Japan\u2019s mission, Suzuki said she realized the significance of the role Public Affairs plays in helping to achieve it. She became a part of that when she helped coordinate a volunteer visit to a nearby orphanage and then wrote and published a news article on the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did everything to the best of my ability and I felt a sense of accomplishment, especially because my dream of becoming a writer came true,\u201d Suzuki said.<\/p>\n

Being given such important tasks, as well as the guidance and support to take them on, was a lasting experience for her, Suzuki said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will remain in my mind is that the PA staff entrusted me with such a big project,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt proud to be given so much more responsibility than I had imagined, and while I did feel the pressure of meeting a deadline, I was able to make it through with the support of my office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another amazing experience for Suzuki was being able to attend meetings the PA staff held with various partner organizations because she said it gave her the chance to see the many ways in which the office works toward establishing and building positive relationships with the U.S. Army\u2019s host nation in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy time in the program ended up being a unique and valuable experience that I\u2019m sure I would not have been able to gain anywhere else but here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her supervisor and co-workers treated her professionally and provided a friendly atmosphere in which she could communicate easily with them, Suzuki said. They also provided her constructive feedback on the many projects she helped carry out, she said.<\/p>\n

Kenji Toyomura, the deputy chief of Public Engagement for USAG Japan Public Affairs, spoke highly of Suzuki\u2019s abilities and said she could be trusted with tackling even challenging and complex tasks, and he would like to work with her again if given the chance.<\/p>\n

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\n Lt. Col. Brian Pilch, left, director of Directorate of Emergency Services; Ayano Yoshida, center, a junior at Sagami Women\u2019s University who interned at DES; and William Peppard, right, deputy director of DES, pose for a photo at the interns\u2019 graduation ceremony held Sept. 1 at Kizuna Hall on Camp Zama, Japan.
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Ayano Yoshida, a junior at Sagami Women\u2019s University who interned at the Directorate of Emergency Services, applied for the internship because of her childhood dream of becoming a police officer<\/p>\n

While working at DES, Yoshida said she got to see a broad picture of the many things military police officers do, from responding to emergency calls and enforcing traffic violations to regular equipment maintenance and even the coordination they do with the on-base fire department.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful that I got to be part of the MPs\u2019 daily operations, and I enjoyed every aspect of it,\u201d Yoshida said. \u201cEvery Soldier, co-worker and supervisor was very friendly and they provided a work environment that felt safe and enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working in DES helped her gain a deeper understanding of the joy of helping people, and it inspired her to pursue a career in protecting people\u2019s lives and safety, not necessarily limited to the police.<\/p>\n

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\n Thirty-four Japanese college students who completed U.S. Army Garrison Japan\u2019s four-week summer internship program, along with their supervisors, pose for a photo at the interns\u2019 graduation ceremony held Sept. 1 at Kizuna Hall on Camp Zama, Japan.
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Her experience was so fun that Yoshida said she felt like the program was over in a split second even though it lasted a month. In that time, Yoshida said she built a bond and sense of trust with the DES team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an experience that money can\u2019t buy,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with my time here and with the great people I worked alongside. This is exactly the type of job I want to pursue in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

William Peppard, the deputy director of DES, was Yoshida\u2019s supervisor and said she had a strong work ethic that demonstrated a sense of dedication, reliability and commitment to excellence that not only benefited USAG Japan, but will also set the foundation for her\u00a0future career success.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interns often bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and up-to-date knowledge from their recent academic experiences.\u201d Peppard said. \u201cWorking with the interns provides more experienced employees with the chance to mentor and share their knowledge, and this becomes a rewarding experience to help reinforce their own understanding of the work they do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James McGee, manager of the Visual Information Division at U.S. Army Garrison Japan, shows Chihiro Suzuki, right, a sophomore at Toyoeiwa University and an intern at the USAG Japan Public Affairs Office and another intern VID\u2019s engraving machine Aug 7. (Photo Credit: Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public Affairs) VIEW ORIGINAL CAMP ZAMA, Japan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28331,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28329"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28336,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28329\/revisions\/28336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}