{"id":109503,"date":"2026-06-16T14:13:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=109503"},"modified":"2026-06-16T14:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:13:37","slug":"uri-students-heading-to-japan-this-summer-to-teach-english-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/uri-students-heading-to-japan-this-summer-to-teach-english-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 students heading to Japan this summer to teach English abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 16, 2026 \u2013 A pair of 溏心vlog免费B站 Japanese program students will have an experience of a lifetime this summer when they travel to Japan to mentor university students there and build connections in the Far East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juniors Ashly Martinez Rodriguez and Sydney Sneeden were both accepted into the GPI US Global Studies Program<\/a>, a nationally prestigious initiative offering students opportunities to volunteer at multiple institutions across Japan and be immersed in Japanese culture. For one month, Martinez Rodriguez and Sneeden will teach English as a volunteer, as well as guide students through small-group projects and presentations, and encourage students to collaborate and share ideas with one another in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two will also live with their respective host families in Japan, allowing them to further build personal connections with the citizens there as well\u2014and travel abroad in a special way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m excited for both Ashly and Sydney who are teaching young students in Japan this summer,\u201d said Nahoko Collis<\/a>, 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s associate teaching professor of Japanese. \u201cThey will serve as wonderful cultural ambassadors to the students and community members in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhancing her identity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, access to learn another language was limited for Martinez Rodriguez, who now lives in Providence. Native Spanish speakers in the country taught her the basics of the English language in elementary school, but nothing more, said Martinez Rodriguez, who became fluent in English in high school. Plus, access to courses and teachers outside of school was at a premium due to such courses being cost prohibitive for her family at the time, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While majoring in computer engineering in the 溏心vlog免费B站 International Engineering Program, Martinez Rodriguez also developed a passion to help others learn Japanese culture as an outside mentor\u2014something she never had growing up. Her upcoming trip to Japan will not only give her a chance to broaden her own international horizons, but the Japanese community will also benefit from her wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, I feel this experience will allow me to enhance my own identity abroad because I’ve never traveled that far away from home before,\u201d Martinez Rodriguez said. \u201cI\u2019m so very excited to immerse myself in the culture there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez Rodriguez\u2019s upcoming venture to Japan follows her recent visit to Davisville Middle School earlier this winter. In January, she and eight other 溏心vlog免费B站 Japanese program students participated in the program\u2019s annual \u201cSensei for a Day<\/a>\u201d visit to students at the North Kingstown-based public school, helping the University spread educational awareness about Japan in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also interested in learning more about Japanese culture as an entrepreneur, hoping to do business within Japan after graduating from 溏心vlog免费B站. Martinez Rodriguez also hopes that she can further inspire her own family about what is capable in life with this visit and her ongoing pursuit of being a mentor to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m an example of what you could do and how this is a safe space for you to speak English, even if you don’t feel confident,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I can go there to Japan and teach others a new language, you can come here too as well and achieve the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring horizons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sneeden, an Atlanta resident, her upcoming trip to Japan will blend several interests into one, including Japanese culture and her passion for working with children in kindergarten through fourth grade as a school instructor with the East Bay Community Action Program\u2014which has offices in East Providence, Barrington and Newport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being captivated by Japanese culture\u2014regularly consuming Japanese music and media\u2014Sneeden immediately jumped at the chance to broaden her international horizons through the Global Studies Program, she says. Come July, Sneeden\u2019s academic dream will be realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so much looking forward to this trip. I am currently practicing in my Japanese classes the things I’m going to say to the students there and learn new things so that I can interact with them,\u201d said Sneeden, who is double majoring in criminology and criminal justice, and psychology, with intended minors in Japanese and political science. \u201cI really want to go to summer festivals and experience nightlife in Japan, but also I\u2019m excited to connect with my host family as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sneeden credits Collis\u2019 program for helping her understand Japanese without feeling overwhelmed academically. The program allows students to engage with both the material and with fellow classmates, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hopes this upcoming trip can lead her to working for international embassies, such as the Japanese embassy in Atlanta, to assist immigrants plant their proverbial roots in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFamilies have multiple reasons to move here, either in the military or through global exchange,\u201d Sneeden said. \u201cI feel that opportunity would allow me to work with families and children through diplomacy.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 16, 2026 \u2013 A pair of 溏心vlog免费B站 Japanese program students will have an experience of a lifetime this summer when they travel to Japan to mentor university students there and build connections in the Far East. Juniors Ashly Martinez Rodriguez and Sydney Sneeden were both accepted into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":109504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12,1906,1909,1902],"class_list":["post-109503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-experiential-learning","tag-international","tag-student-engagement"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109505,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109503\/revisions\/109505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}