Claremont, Calif. (May 14, 2015)—Pitzer College congratulates Emma Hanashiro 15, Hannah Levy ’15, Jasmine Ortlieb ’15 and Kirsten Simons ’15, who have been awarded Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program fellowships to teach English in public schools in Japan for one year. The JET fellows will team-teach with Japanese teachers of English and also serve as representatives of the US to promote mutual understanding between the US and Japan.
Emma Hanashiro ’15
Emma Hanashiro, an Asian studies major and Japanese minor, has served as a Japanese-to-English translator for manga publishing and Japanese film distribution companies, worked as a newsroom intern for Anime News Network, and conducted research on Japanese comics, culture and literature.
Hannah Levy ’15
Hannah Levy, a foreign languages major, studied abroad in both France and Japan. An avid fan of animation, she hopes to combine her love of Japanese anime and Japanese language by doing translation work for animated shows.
Jasmine Ortlieb ’15
Jasmine Ortlieb, an economics major and Japanese minor, has been active in the Pitzer College Student Senate, played oboe in the Pomona College Band and served in a leadership role M.A.G.E. (Manga, Anime, Gaming and Entertainment) Club on campus. After her year with the JET Program, she plans to work in Japan for a couple of years before attending business school.
Kirsten Simons ’15
Kirsten Simons, a psychology major and Asian American studies minor, has been active in the Asian Pacific American Coalition and worked for Pitzer’s Center for Asian Pacific American Students for three years. After completing her JET Fellowship, she plans to become an elementary school psychologist and hopes to apply the lessons she learns working in Japanese classrooms to schools in America with large Asian American populations.
The JET program provides college graduates from around the globe an opportunity to interact with Japanese students in a variety of educational settings and, in some cases, serve in government offices in Japan.
