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RICHMOND, Ind. — As a student from Japan majoring in Spanish and Hispanic Studies on campus in the United States, Earlham College senior Risa Abe certainly brings a distinct global perspective to her work as a delegate to the 58th annual Japan-America Student Conference (JASC) this summer.

Risa Abe ’07 of Japan spent a month abroad studying in Australia as a high school student. It was there she decided that attending college in the United States might be a good option. However, it wasn’t until she arrived at Earlham and met her roommate — who spent her high school years in the Dominican Republic — that Abe knew what she wanted to study.

The world’s oldest bilateral, student-run cultural exchange, the conference is held alternate years at various locations in the United States and Japan. Abe is one of 72 American and Japanese college students selected for this year’s intense, month-long program of study, seminars and travel to Cornell (N.Y.) University, the University of Oklahoma, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

“My unique understanding of the United States and Japan comes from living in both countries. In addition, studying Latin America has provided me with new perspectives on those countries, which I can bring to the conference, too,” says Abe, adding she wanted to participate in JASC in order gain an even more complete world vision.

“I don’t think I have the whole picture,” she says. “Specifically, I want to get a better understanding of how the United States and Japan should lead today’s world.”

The theme for this year’s exchange is “Examining the Future of the U.S.-Japan Relationship in a Global Framework.” Among other responsibilities and activities, Abe will be part of the conference’s international development group examining issues of global poverty and hunger, and the progress being made (or not) to ameliorate both crises. Abe and her fellow students meet July 24. They will live and work together until the conference concludes on Aug. 21.

Her involvement in JASC is only the latest step in a long, personal “globalization” process for Abe, who during high school studied abroad in Australia for a month. It was then she realized that attending college abroad might be an option worth pursuing.

“In Japan, you have to decide your major before you attend college,” Abe notes. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so how could I decide on a major?

“My adviser gave me a list of about 1,000 liberal arts schools in the U.S. I wanted a small liberal arts college with a good study abroad program and a lot of international students. These requirements helped me to discover Earlham.”

In an interesting twist, a statement on her college housing application helped Abe realize her passion and determine her major.

“I was told that international students would not get another international student for a roommate,” she recounts of preparations for her first year at Earlham. “So, I wrote something like, ‘I want somebody who knows that the U.S. is not the only country in the world.’”

Remarkably, Rebecca Dohn of Cincinnati, Ohio, made a similar statement on her housing application. Shortly afterward the two found themselves sharing an Earlham dorm room and their respective international experiences. Dohn spent her high school years in the Dominican Republic.

Abe began to study Spanish and during the fall of 2005 participated in Earlham’s Mexico Program, which places students in Cuautla, Morelos, for a semester of studying language and culture. She enjoyed her time there so much that she stayed on through the holidays. She later visited Costa Rica, spent 10 days in Cuba, and returned to Cuautla with her sister during spring break.

“My experience in Latin America changed me a lot,” says Abe. “I had to face the reality that there is a lot of poverty in the world. I don’t have to deal with hunger, and I don’t suffer personally. I found out that the world is not like that everywhere.

“I feel like I grew up so much there. Before I thought being from a rich and powerful country would be very cool. But during my stays in Latin America, I often felt guilty about being born in a developed country — because so many people there are suffering from big problems that are not easy to solve.”

After Earlham, Abe plans to attend graduate school and eventually become a Spanish professor.

“I want people to give more attention to Latin America, especially Japanese people and people in developed countries. Something about it — the food, listening to Latin music — makes me so happy,” professes Abe, whose collegiate resume also includes a gold medal won at the 2004 Midwest Collegiate Judo Championships. “In high school, I studied to get good grades so that here I can really enjoy my major, and I try to learn about it in every way that I can.”

Contact:
Denise Purcell, public affairs assistant
765/983-1323 — E-Mail Denise