Over the summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in Kyoto, Japan. As an undergraduate, I studied abroad in Ireland at the University of Limerick via Valparaiso University. Studying abroad in Ireland changed my life, and I knew coming into a post-grad program that if it were possible to experience something like that again, I would.

I was drawn to the Japan program, as I had previously studied in Europe and wanted a different experience. In addition, I had a couple of friends who were going and really pushed to convince me to join them. Studying abroad in Japan was one of the most fun and life-changing experiences I've ever had. While I am pretty experienced at solo traveling, living in Kyoto really pushed my boundaries as I did not speak the language. I have found that my confidence in turn has grown in the past few months.

One of my favorite memories of Japan was traveling across Tokyo by myself to visit the Ghibli Museum. The Ghibli Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum that displays the works done by Studio Ghibli, an animation studio helmed by Hayao Miyazaki, with such movies as Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, and more.

Any law student who is thinking of applying to this program, I would highly encourage you to do so. I know more than anyone how valuable time and money is to a current law student, but it is worth every second spent over there, and every yen spent as well. I still can’t believe that it happened, and I am so glad that it did.

Name: Leah Gatchel
Status: Graduate
Major: Law
Hometown: Wabash, Indiana
Program: MSU Law and the Relationship Between Japan and the USA