The Department of East Asian Studies is celebrating two significant achievements by its students in the 2023–24 academic year. 

First, the entire advanced intermediate Japanese language class, led by Kalamazoo College Associate Professor of Japanese Noriko Sugimori, was certified at the Functional Level—with the Global Seal of Biliteracy in English and Japanese—by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. 

The certification for Tyler Houle ’25, Zoe Klowden ’25, Olivia Wolfe ’24, Joshua Kim ’25, Shannon Abbott ’24, Noah Chukwuma ’25, Victor Guerra Lopez ’24, Tristan Uphoff ’25 and Richard Sakurai-Kearns ’24 provides a confirmation of their ability to speak, write, read and listen in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context. 

Houle, who plays football at K, achieved his certification before becoming the first student from K to participate in the Nagasaki, Japan, study abroad program this spring. Houle is eager to share his pioneering experiences as the Japanese department student advisor this fall. 

Also, Christopher Van Alstine ’24 participated in the Michigan Japanese Speech Contest in Ann Arbor in February, where he presented an essay detailing the heartwarming friendship he developed with the owner of a ramen restaurant where he worked as a part-timer during his study abroad in Kyoto. 

The prestigious contest, organized by Detroit’s Consulate General of Japan, features higher-education students from around the state who present their own work in front of three judges and an audience. 

“I am happy that our students were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor and can now display their Japanese qualifications to future employers,” Sugimori said. 

Congratulations to all the students for their impressive achievements.