JICUF launched the United States Scholars Initiative (USSI) in 2018 to increase the number of degree-seeking undergraduate students from the US at ICU. For the last five years, we aimed to recruit two US students with excellent academic standing, and cover their full tuition for four years. The first two USSI students graduated this summer. Currently, six USSI students are studying at ICU, including two new students who matriculated this month. We had a chance to interview Nicolas Correa, one of the USSI students who enrolled at ICU in 2019 and graduated this year.

Nicolas at the ICU graduation

JICUF: Tell us a bit about your background. Where did you grow up and go to school?
Nicolas: I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I spent my whole life there before university except for the three years of my childhood when I lived in Japan. So, before attending ICU, I had already been exposed to the Japanese language and culture. 

JICUF: Why did you decide to apply to ICU and USSI?
Nicolas: I attended a Japanese Saturday school in California until 6th grade, and I was able to communicate in Japanese, but I knew I had a lot of room to improve. So, I decided to attend ICU to improve my Japanese. At ICU, I was able to do this both in the classroom and outside through my various club activities!  

I applied to USSI because I received a letter in the mail encouraging me to apply for it, and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to cover the large financial burden of college tuition. 

JICUF: What did you study at ICU?
Nicolas: I studied International Relations for my major, but I took a variety of classes in other majors, including sociology, philosophy, and literature.

JICUF: What extracurricular activities did you participate in?
Nicolas: Extracurricular activities were a large part of my ICU experience both in terms of my time commitment and my growth as an individual. I joined the soccer club (ICUFC) from the beginning of my first year. This was a huge commitment, as we practiced multiple times a week and traveled for games on the weekend. We were in the fourth division when I entered, but as a team we became the first in ICUFC history to move up to the second division. 

I was also a member of the JICUF-sponsored Common Good Grant (CGG) project, in which I worked with 14 other ICU students to allocate 1,000,000 yen to local non-profit organizations. I was part of the public relations team, so I contacted NPOs to explain our project and to invite them to apply for the grant. It was a challenging year-long project, especially because it was the first year the project was conducted at ICU. However, I gained valuable experience communicating and collaborating in Japanese, and we were able to select four candidates to receive the grant as well as set the foundations for the next year’s CGG students. 

I was also an event manager and writer for ENTREP, an entrepreneurial mindset club that kicked off its first in-person event through support from JICUF. I gained experience planning online events, MCing an online event, translating articles, and leading meetings. At one of our online events, our guest speaker was offering internships, so I seized the opportunity by contacting their team and was able to do a three-month internship with them!

JICUF: How did the experience at ICU impact you?  What are the biggest takeaways from your time at ICU?
Nicolas: My Japanese improved a lot. During my fourth year, I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and passed level N1, the highest level. It was no doubt thanks to the JLP program at ICU and my JLP teacher who was so helpful and really cared about her students’ growth. 

While the JLPT is a test for reading, grammar, vocabulary, and listening, my ability to communicate in casual Japanese conversations has improved as well. I think this is a result of my involvement in various extracurriculars that helped me learn from others in real world situations. Overall, my language improvement was a very important accomplishment in my ICU experience because it was one of the main reasons I had matriculated at ICU. 

I learned that career forums can work. I got my job by seeking out a booth at a career forum in Tokyo. I would not have found out about this opportunity if I had not consulted the ICU placement office, which recommended me to attend. I learned the importance of going out of my way to use new resources for my job search. 

JICUF: What are your plans post graduation?
Nicolas: I will be working in Washington state as a sales administrator for an Asian food company. In my role, I expect to facilitate the transfer of different Japanese foods and food products to American vendors. My role involves using Japanese, so I get to incorporate what I learned at ICU and my time in Japan even while living in America. 

JICUF: Any other things you would like to share?
Nicolas: Thank you so much to all the people at JICUF, both the staff and board members, for making the USSI scholarship possible. Wishing all the best to the future USSI students!! 

Left: Mount Nantai / Right: Sunrise on Mount Fuji