School: Columbia Heights Education Campus

Grade: 11

Zodiac: Scorpio/Year of the Dragon

Interests/Hobbies: I currently loves drumming (mostly digital) and playing video games. I really want to learn more calligraphy. I watch anime once in a while and would read more manga if I could afford it.

Personal Statement:

I’ve always found some small curiosity and interest in Japanese culture and history. At home, we have a few Geisha portraits; one red, one black and one green. Granted, no one in my family is Japanese but we still had those somehow, as well as a painting. Soon enough, I discovered anime and manga, which immediately caught my attention through its high-paced and dynamic fight scenes (like DBZ, Jow Eater and Inuyasha). Years pass and I thought, “maybe I should learn Japanese. I always wanted to learn another language.” I tried self-teaching. However, my journal of poorly written hiragana went after all these years. Once I heard of this Japanese Plus program from my mom and how you could travel to Japan for the summer, I was hooked. I get to actually see what the country and their culture is like with my own eyes, as well as learn a language I wanted to learn. I guess that’s my little story of my interest in Japan.

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