Introduction

My name is Nico Rolfe, and I’m one of the Peer Advisors at JCMU! I’m a senior at Michigan State University with a double major in Physics and Japanese, and I participated in the 2023-24 Academic Year Program in Hikone, Japan. The experiences and people I encountered during my time in Japan undoubtedly changed me as a person, and made me a firm believer in the importance of language/cultural exchange. I look forward to hearing from and connecting with anyone with an interest in studying in Japan!

Background

Coming from Saginaw, Michigan, the most exposure to Japan I had growing up was watching Pokemon early in the morning before school and riding around in my Dad’s old Toyota hatchback. It wasn’t until my sophomore year at MSU that I decided to give Japanese classes a try after feeling burnt out from years of studying French with little to show for it. At the time I didn’t think much of my decision (any foreign language seemed fine) but it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the language and culture. I knew early on in my studies that I wanted to study abroad, so after taking two years of Japanese at MSU I took the plunge and spent a year at JCMU. Once I graduate, I plan to return to Japan with the goal to contribute to a global community exchanging ideas, language, and culture.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​