Marshall University’s modern languages department is urging students to learn more about and consider studying abroad, the department’s chair said.

Natsuki Fukunaga Anderson, chair of the modern languages department, said she believes it is essential for students to travel abroad and has received positive experience feedback. Anderson said she believes that studying abroad gives students the ability to immerse themselves in a new language and culture and helps them gain a new appreciation for a once unfamiliar way of life.

“There about 30 students in the Japanese major, and around five to 10 of those students will travel abroad,” Anderson said. 

The Department of Modern Languages offers access to study abroad programs during the fall and spring semesters. There are also summer opportunities available through the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, which offers a range of places to study and live. 

Cheyenne Thomas, an international business and Japanese major from Ripley, West Virginia, studied abroad for a year in Japan and said that she was able to learn more about her major and make international friends. 

“My classes were really good,” Thomas said. “ I got to travel all the time.”

While studying in Japan, Thomas gained the ability to independently explore Japan with a sense of comfort.

“I was always experiencing good things like new food and new historical places,” Thomas said. 

More information can be found by contacting Natsuki Fukunaga Anderson at [email protected]

Taylor Speight can be contacted at [email protected].