虎扑电竞

The 2019 reception for international students was held at the Westin Hotel on March 6, to say hello to the new members of the Tohoku University family, and to send off those who are graduating, or completing their course this spring.

University President Hideo Ohno, in his opening speech, welcomed the new students and urged those who are leaving, to join the alumni association and to stay in touch.

"The fact that you studied at Tohoku University should give you pride as well as self-confidence. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for you, and hope that you will come back to see us in Sendai once in a while."

He also spoke of the impact that international students have on the university and the community. "We are in an era of globalization where it's very important to have an inclusive, multicultural learning environment," he said. "We currently have over 3,000 international students from 100 countries and regions. One out of every four graduate students is from another country. Going forward, I'd like to increase that number further."

Graduating student John Jewish Dominguez from the Philippines and incoming Russian student Maria Prudnikova also gave speeches tinged with both nostalgia and excitement, reflecting the feelings of the 250 students in attendance.

Dominguez, who will receive his PhD from the Graduate School of Environmental Studies this spring, thanked the university for being his "home away from home" these last six years. He added that many exciting opportunities await the new students. "You just have to find your niche, and be open to all the new things that you will encounter."

This sentiment was echoed by other veteran students at the event. Many recommended joining a club or society, such as the Tohoku University Foreign Students Association.

"Most of us at TUFSA know the challenges of adjusting to a foreign country so we can relate and maybe help with certain problems," said Hamza Abdelli, who will take over as TUFSA's new president in April. "We also organize a lot of activities on campus and in the community, so it's a really great way to meet people."

One such activity is the annual Tohoku University International Festival, which showcases the university's multicultural student body, and attracts thousands of people from across the region. "I love the festival!" said Szymon Fujak, who is from Poland. "It's so much fun and a chance to share our culture with the people of Tohoku, so I really recommend that new students come to that in May."

The evening included a buffet dinner, multicultural performances and a chance for students, professors and invited guests to mingle and get to know each other informally.

For some incoming students, the chance to do good research and to work with well known professors is exciting. "The main reason I wanted to come here was to work with Professor Kazuya Yoshida, who is highly respected in the space community," said Shreya Santra, who will be working for her PhD in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. "I've also heard that this was the first university in Japan to accept women. As a female engineer, I think that's impressive."

The public relations department joins the rest of the university in wishing all new and graduating international students the very best of luck in the year ahead.

虎扑电竞 in Japanese