Mai Kubota Research Paper

There’s nothing like meeting an international student for the first time. Their experiences in a new country become new experiences for yourself as well, even though your environment does not change. You remember how it is to interact/communicate with them for the first time and as time goes on you get to see a first hand account of the progress that is being made throughout the year(s). I had an amazing opportunity that opened my eyes to diversity and perseverance that began my freshman year of high school. This international student’s name was Mai Kubota. Born on November 4, 1994 to Osamu and Michiyo Kubota in Tokyo, Japan, Mai was always up for new experiences. While living in Tokyo with her parents, being the only child, she spent a lot …show more content…
She attended an all girls private school. Because she was at an all girls school you could imagine how interesting and drastic of a change it would have been to attend a co-ed school in America. While their was a significant change she assimilated well. In the beginning of the year she gravitated to just hanging out with girls, but as time went on, especially because our class/school was so small, she began to become close to the boys as well. It’s safe to say that she was skeptical in the beginning, but with constant exposure to the opposite gender the transition was not as daunting. Also, the school that she attended in Japan was a private school, so she was used to strict rules and conforming to the school’s regulations, so when it was time to come to St. Anthony, following the guidelines was not something that she was not used to. She remembers it being “very fun,” however she spent most of her time studying. Her parents were both very involved in her education, especially during her elementary school career and pushed her to do her best in school. From a very young age, she began to learn English and grew very attached to the language. Before 5th grade learning English was not mandatory, however she took it upon herself to begin to learn the language. During 5th and 6th grade English classes, taught by a native English teacher, were offered at her school and without any regrets, she …show more content…
However, she recalls that her opinion of her own speaking ability changed when she attended St. Anthony and was surrounded by fluent English speaking students for the first time. To her this was the biggest obstacle that she faced when assimilating into American society. She tried her best to be friendly and most of all social amongst her classmates and the school’s faculty and staff, because she didn't want them to think that since she was an international student from Japan, then she couldn't speak English. Although there were no other international students at the school, she explained that she enjoyed not having anyone from the same culture as her to turn to. If there were students of the same culture, she believed that she would have always turned to them for help and would essentially become too comfortable and would not make any American friends. It was a challenge that she wanted to face and benefit from on her own! However, there were supports available to her. Mai’s fellow classmates were always willing to help her out, which she turned to most frequently, as well as the staff and faculty of the school. Aside from the value placed on her friendships, she also valued her educators in America. They were the backbones of her success throughout her high school career. Similar to