Momiji aims to pursue a Master's in education at UCL, where she hopes to teach for a few years before becoming a politician in Japan.
Roadmap.
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"Think about applying to colleges in foreign countries! Many countries have programs taught in English (tuition might be cheaper or even free!)."
Hear Momiji talk about her shift from sociology/anthropology to a specialization in political science, and how she did that by studying abroad in Japan!
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During my internship at a member of the House of Representative’s office, I was allowed to go anywhere in the Diet Building whenever I wanted!
MILESTONES
My career roadmap has been somewhat defined.
I’m Japanese, but I grew up in Santa Clarita, so I always wanted to live in Tokyo, and I wanted to become a politician since junior high school.
During my senior year in high school, I found out that there are some universities in Japan where I can study political science in English. I applied to Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan and I got accepted.
During my freshman year in college, I learned that I’m more interested in learning about current social issues than political theories. I also learned that I don’t need to study political science to become a politician; therefore, I decided to major in sociology (minor in political science).
I found out that my major allows me to obtain a teaching license if I take extra units; therefore, I decided to take 30 extra units to receive a teaching license only because those units were free.
While learning about education, I started to think education needs to change in order to change society or to solve social issues.
I researched and found out about “citizenship education,” which I think is a necessary education for people to solve social issues. Therefore, I decided to attend a graduate school to research more about “citizenship education.” Since then, I want to become a politician, who is specialized in education.
During my internship at a member of the House of Representative’s office, politicians told me that I should experience living in another country to learn more about different societies. Therefore, I applied to University College London (Institute of Education) in England.
March 2020, I got an acceptance letter from University College London; however, due to COVID19, I decided to defer my offer. I plan to start my academic year September 2021. Currently, I am a master’s student at Sophia University’s education department.
EXPERIENCE
Here are my extracurriculars relevant to this pathway
DURING MY HIGH SCHOOL CAREER
ASB
Yearbook
Volunteering
Theater Club at COC (treasurer)
DURING MY COLLEGE CAREER
Internship at a member of the House of Representative’s office in Tokyo, Japan (they are willing to accept foreign students for both short and long-term!)
Volunteering at Development Education Association and Resource Center in Tokyo, Japan
Volunteering at Dot-jp.Nonprofit Organization, which holds events for high school and college students to gain political literacy
Working part-time at Kidzania Tokyo
Working part-time at 3 keys, Nonprofit Organization which is aiming to make our society a place where every child can receive enough education and children’s rights are protected.
CAREER
What I'm currently doing/hope to do
I received an offer from University College London (Institute of Education)’s postgraduate program in England. However, due to COVID19, I decided to defer my offer. I will be a postgraduate student at UCL starting September 2021. UCL’s Institute of Education has been ranked as the number 1 in the world for Education, so I am very excited to start my research there! For now, I am a master’s student at Sophia University’s Department of Education in Tokyo, Japan. My research topic is EU citizenship education. I already have a high school teaching license, and I am aiming to obtain a junior high school teaching license by the end of 2020. I might become a teacher for a few years in order to gain experiences in the field after my postgraduate program at UCL, but I am planning to become a local politician (who is specialized in Education) in Tokyo, Japan in the near future.
ADVICE
How to maximize my time in high school?
Advice #1: If you are interested in Education (or becoming a teacher), take notes on how your teachers are teaching you and keep all of your worksheets, essays, notes, textbooks, ppt, posters and etc.
Advice #2: Take foreign language classes seriously. It is very useful if you can read other languages when you do your own research.
Advice #3: Yes, GPA is important (I only got 2 Bs in high school), but experiences are also important. I regret not doing anything, but studying. Do an internship or part-time job related to your interest (also save money!)
Advice #4: Take philosophy classes seriously. Philosophy is related to everything. It’s very useful when you have basic knowledge!
Advice #5: Think about applying to colleges in foreign countries! Many countries have programs taught in English (tuition might be cheaper or even free!).
