Alumni Spotlight - Sage Wright

Sage Wright’s interest in Japanese language and culture began in high school when his family hosted exchange students from Tokyo. He studied Japanese for three years during high school and then completed the remaining courses offered by the Japanese Cultural Resource Center at EvCC. “My decision to study Japanese and business in college was strongly influenced by the existence of EvCC’s program offering,” he says. Sage joined the Japanese Club at EvCC, graduated with his associate’s degree, and later graduated from Western Washington University. Now living in Iiyama, Japan, Sage teaches at two elementary schools, where he uses both English and Japanese to communicate and conduct lessons. Sage offers advice to current EvCC students: “Don’t give up on your interests. Just keep chipping away at whatever problem confronts you, and in time your dream will give way to reality. With persistence, you’ll find there’s nothing you can’t master.”

In Sage's words:

"I was a student at EvCC from '08 (the year I graduated high school) to 2010, when I transferred to Western Washington University with my associate's degree. I graduated WWU in 2012—the same year your EvCC alumni ad campaign began, it would seem! 

My interest in Japanese language and culture began in high school, when my family hosted exchange students from Tokyo. I studied Japanese for three years at Stanwood High School, and then completed the remaining courses offered by the Japanese Cultural Resource Center at EvCC during my time there. My decision to study Japanese and business in college was strongly influenced by the existence of EvCC's program offering. I hold fond memories of my time at EvCC, and great respect for the school. 

The year before I came to Japan, I joined the Japanese Club at EvCC and began attending club meetings & activities regularly until the week of my departure. So, I have friends even among the school's current student body, despite that I graduated years ago.

I've been living in Japan in a city called Iiyama, in Nagano Prefecture. For the first six months, I was teaching at four elementary schools, but I now teach at two schools (as the number of English lessons for elementary schoolers nearly doubled this year all across Japan, the number of teaching positions available on the JET Program has increased proportionately).

There are many opportunities here for students and alumni of EvCC! The Japanese Cultural Resource Center is a great place to lay the foundation of language knowledge needed for life in Japan. Japanese fluency is not a requirement for participation on the JET Program, but some basic knowledge of Japanese is highly recommended. At the elementary school level environment I work in, none of the homeroom teachers are trained specifically in English education, so we communicate and conduct lesson planning in Japanese as well. Naturally, this is Japan, so day-to-day business is conducted in Japanese.

As for advice for current students of EvCC, I would say this: Don’t give up on your interests. Just keep chipping away at whatever problem confronts you, and in time your dream will give way to reality. With persistence, you’ll find there’s nothing you can’t master."