Name: Christina Ulowetz

Year: 2017

Major: East Asian Studies

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

I’m spending my summer as an intern at the Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC). Last summer, I studied abroad in Hakodate, Japan, and had a blast. I’m also an East Asian Languages and Cultures major, so this year, I was interested in seeing how I could use my Japanese language skills in an American context. JASC is a non-profit organization that, in a broad sense, aims to promote friendship between Japan and the U.S. They hold language classes (both English and Japanese) and host a variety of fun cultural activities to build community and celebrate Japanese culture. I specialize in event planning and executing, helping my supervisors prepare for activities and then attending to help them run smoothly. A few weeks before I started my internship, JASC hosted internationally-renowned barista Hiroshi Sawada in a latte art workshop: what an event to miss!

But I came just in time for one of JASC’s biggest annual events: a celebratory dinner at the Union League Club of Chicago. The keynote speaker was the former U.S. ambassador to Japan, J. Thomas Schieffer, but we had a last minute addition of Illinois governor Bruce Rauner. It was definitely an exciting evening! Mingling with attendees and society members, I got to hear everyone’s connections to the society and their involvement with the Japanese community of Chicago. I found it very informative as to what kind of work my major could bring me.