ICU alumna Yuko Maeno (June, 2010) stopped by the Japan ICU Foundation to tell us about her exciting transition to graduate school. From September of this year, she will be a new Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Bradford in the UK. It’s the latest chapter in her fascinating global career!

Japan ICU Foundation: Thank you for speaking with us! Where are you from originally?

Yuko Maeno:  I am from the Nerimaku area of Tokyo, close to Kichijoji.

JICUF: How did you first hear about ICU?

YM: It was pretty close to my home, and I had a friend who was interested in attending. She was one year ahead of me, so I went to the ICU open campus with her.

JICUF: What motivated you to apply to ICU?

YM:  It was a very nice campus, with a lot of green grass and open space.  It seemed like a nice place to study and was also close to home. I commuted from home by bicycle, without having to take any trains.

JICUF: What were some of your favorite activities or professors?

YM: I really liked my classes with Chiba sensei, and also Professor Whitelaw, who was my advisor. I was in a new Circle focusing on Fair Trade, which was interesting. I also helped new international students to get local bank accounts in Mitaka City.

JICUF: How did you decide on your major?

YM: I was in the Division of Social Science. My first choice was International Relations, but I ended up with Social Science. I liked many of the classes, such as Peace Studies with Mogami-sensei and other classes in Anthropology, Sociology, and other areas. ICU is very strong in interdisciplinary studies and liberal arts.

JICUF: Did you study abroad as a student?

YM:  Yes, I spent one year in Brazil as a High School student when I was 17. It was through a special program with Rotary International.  As an ICU student, I participated in the Service Learning Program in Thailand, as well as studying English in Dublin. I also spent my junior year abroad in Sussex, UK.

JICUF: What have you been doing since graduation?

YM: I was an April student, but extended three months due to fieldwork I conducted in Ibaraki Prefecture, so I actually graduated in June 2010.  For my fieldwork, I was focusing on the Nikkei Brazilians living in that part of Japan. Since I had studied abroad in Brazil, I could use my Portuguese to communicate with them.

JICUF: That’s really great! How many languages can you speak?

YM: I can speak Japanese, English, Portuguese, and Swahili. I really like learning new languages! I am now trying to learn Spanish as well as Dinka and Nuer, which are two tribal languages of South Sudan. I hope to do additional field work there at some point.

JICUF: What will you be doing next?

YM: I will study for my MA in African Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Bradford in the UK. I was awarded the Rotary Peace Fellowship, so I will be a Peace Fellow at Bradford from September 2015 – December 2016. From June to September 2016, I will be doing my fieldwork, and then finish up with my MA thesis.

(Editor’s note: Bradford is one of just six global universities partnering with Rotary International on this prestigious Fellowship. ICU is also one of those six, and the only one located in East Asia).

JICUF: How does this fit in with your past experiences, and how do you think this will impact your future career path?

YM:  Since I was at ICU, I was always interested in working for a humanitarian organization. After graduating, once I thought about being diplomat. However, while interning at an NGO called Japan Association for Refugees (JAR), I was more interested in having a field experience in Africa. Completing my six-month internship with JAR, I then participated in the JICA Oversees Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) program and worked in youth activities in a child protection center in Kenya for two years.

With a completion of the JOCV program, I luckily got a program officer position in South Sudan for the NGO Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). South Sudan is the newest country in Africa, which gained independence in 2011 from Sudan after nearly two decades of civil war. South Sudan used to have many refugees in neighboring countries, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan at that time. ADRA started a refugee repatriation and resettlement program there in 2006.

When I first went to South Sudan for a short business trip in December 2013, the civil war suddenly erupted and we were forced to evacuate through Ethiopia. Since then we could never enter again to South Sudan and due to the severe fighting and food crisis about 620,000 South Sudanese were forced to leave the country. Since then ADRA decided to set up a refugee emergency operation in Ethiopia. As of June 2015, we ended up received more than 200,000 refugees at the Ethiopian border.  From that experience, I became more interested in reconciliation on the grassroots level, which is essential to bring out the fundamental solution for refugee problem.

JICUF: Wow, it sounds like you had quite a lot of worthwhile experiences since your graduation from ICU! We really appreciate your sharing them with us. Lastly, do you have any advice for current or even future ICU students?

YM: I suggest you to meet as many interesting people as possible and to explore places where you want to see. In other words, to follow your instinct.

JICUF: Thank you so much, Yuko! Best of luck with your Rotary Peace Fellowship in the UK!