“It was a big challenge for me to adapt myself to a totally new school system and studying in English,” said Sanae Kuwagaki ’05 of her initial transition to Hollins.
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Sanae was able to adjust to her unfamiliar surroundings through living in an international house on campus. She said the experience “gave me the chance to make friends from all over the world. I could learn a lot from my friends who had different backgrounds.”
A biology major, Sanae said the department gave her incredible hands-on research opportunities that enabled her to “explore an interesting field of research with the strong support and encouragement of my professors.
“Since Hollins offers internship programs during the January term, I did three internships. It was a good opportunity to gain some research experience during my college years,” she said. During her senior year, Sanae worked at the National Institute for the Environmental Sciences as part of the Environmental Health Division. While there, she took part in “evaluating the health effects of living organisms exposed to city air pollutants.”
After graduation, Sanae moved back to Osaka, where she worked for a company and taught general science, English, and Japanese to high school students. She plans to attend graduate school to study natural resource management.
Sanae feels fortunate to have studied at Hollins, for the lifetime friendships she made and for the exposure she gained to other cultures. “The experience at Hollins made a big impact in my life.”
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