Career Launch Stories – International Students in America, 1 of 3

by Kathy Seaton

Last week we announced that we would be sharing stories about three of our international accelerated certificate program (ACP) students. This is the first of the series.

A Story of Firsts – First Company-Sponsored Female; First Trip Abroad
Shiori Sato, age 25, Japan

When Shiori Sato graduated two years ago with a degree in accounting and finance from a Japanese university, she began work for a car industry materials supplier. Though fresh out of school, she excelled in the Accounting department. Her company immediately identified her as someone with immense potential, someone they hoped would stay there and grow her skills. Willing to make a significant investment in her future with the company, her employer offered her an opportunity to travel to the U.S. to attend a UC Irvine accelerated certificate program – making the soft-spoken 25-year-old the first female given the honor. Shiori knew the company selects only one candidate to attend every few years, and she accepted their offer—though it would be her first time traveling to or living in the United States, and she was unsure what to expect.

“They probably thought I am strong enough to survive here,” she says, “so I said ‘yes’ right away.” Before long, this decision led Shiori to the airport to board a flight for a country and a university where she didn’t know a single person, and where she would spend the next year studying and gaining real-world experience. “My family says it is a great opportunity,” that encompasses valuable experiences both inside and out of the classroom, she says. (VIDEO)

Her plans include a full year in the U.S., combining a quarter of English as a Second Language (ESL) followed by two Accelerated Certificate Programs (ACP), and concluding with an internship. Many students follow a similar route as Shiori, selecting the ACP in International Business Operations & Management (IBOM) to gain a business overview, followed by a second certificate program that focuses on a specialty, then a smartly targeted internship.

Before her classes even began, she formed initial impressions, marveling at the cleanliness, pleasant weather, and vast spaces between the homes and roads in Irvine. “In the beginning, I didn’t have much motivation to study here; my English was very poor,” Shiori says. “But my classmates take their English very seriously, and they inspire me to become a better English speaker.”

Like all ACP students, Shiori’s three short months to earn each certificate will comprise 160 hours of classwork. She will devote additional time to projects and homework balanced with social invitations and, of course, trips to In-N-Out Burger. Shiori’s year abroad marks her first time away from home for longer than a month. She assures her family that she is quickly adjusting to life and enjoying it. When she turned 25 during the program, she seized the chance to throw an American-style apartment party with her roommates. She has also secured a California driver’s license and bought a car. Though a key component to completing her internship, she plans to sell it when she leaves.

Shiori doesn’t find the classes too difficult for her, despite the fact that many of her peers have more work experience and stronger English. For Shiori, the frequent opportunity to work in small groups greatly enhances the lectures. (VIDEO) She adds that learning about accounting and finance from an American point of view has been eye-opening. “The instructors often mention Japan in our lectures, so I’ve learned how Americans view Japan” and Japan’s importance in the global economy, she says. Her new fascination with the inner workings of international trade and exports has awakened an interest in sales. Now she ponders a career beyond the facts and figures of accounting someday.

As the ACP academic advisors observe, students come with one idea and leave with many others. They may come wanting to better themselves, but they leave with a vision to better their country, influence ideas, launch a company, or improve the global economy and leave their imprint on the world.

When Shiori returns to her job back home, her company will expect her to share her newfound knowledge with colleagues—both from her coursework and her unpaid internship at an American company. Shiori imagines she will also tell them about American culture. “I’m getting used to life in California. It’s totally different than life in Japan,” she says. “I can do whatever I want here,” and, she implies, be whomever she desires to be. “Yes, I could live here.”