News from SMU’s partner Okinawa Shogaku Junior/Senior High School in Naha, Japan!

My name is Leanne Cleveland. I graduated in May 2016 and was a student worker at the International Center for the 2015-2016 academic year.  During my senior year, I received a job offer as a SMU alumna to work as a Teaching Assistant at Okinawa Shogaku Junior High School in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan. As a TA, I teach English classes to both bilingual and non-bilingual Japanese students and work closely with Japanese teachers to develop an English-language curriculum and activities.  I would have never imagined myself living and working in Okinawa after graduation, so it is truly a blessing to be here!  I love the tropical weather and being so close to the ocean no matter where I am on the island. Trying new foods is always an adventure I love to take here because, since I can’t read or understand Japanese, I never know what I’m eating!  My favorite thing that I’ve done so far is snorkeling in the Pacific, and I am looking forward to traveling to mainland Japan and throughout Asia before my time is up in Okinawa.