Q1. Nationality
Philippines

Q2. Faculty / Graduation
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies / September 2024 Graduate

Q3. Country I am currently based in
USA

Q4. Industry I work in
In graduate school (Master's)

Q5. Current job
I am a current Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) student in Bioengineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Q6. Resources I used when applying to graduate programs
I used LinkedIn, graduate programs' contacts and administrators, and personal contacts.

Q7. Outside of my academic work at SFC, what helped you shape your academic/career path?
I was an undergraduate researcher at Keio Institute for Advanced Biosciences under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Haruo Suzuki, where I won two research grants (Yamagishi Student Project Support Program) and participated in academic conferences. I also participated in the Brain Science Training Program at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science. I also had several extracurricular activities, namely: (1) Student Representative at Women in Science Japan, (2) Research Mentor at the Science Mentorship Institute, and (3) Vice President for International Affairs at the Association for International Students at Keio SFC.

Q8. Japanese language proficiency at the time of graduation
In between JLPT N2 and JLPT N3

Q9. Advice or message for current GIGA students who will be job hunting or are considering graduate schools in Japan and abroad
Don't be afraid to make (calculated) risks!

Q10. Is there anything you wish you had known or done differently as a student?
I think I would have tried to diversify my academic and research interests, and pursued a minor concentration in Social Innovation, Management, and Organizations.

Q11. Academic fields I primarily studied at SFC
(1) Advanced Biosciences
Advanced Health Sciences / Systems Biology / Systems Medicine / Environmental Biosciences

Q12. Theme of your Graduation Project
Comparative analyses to elucidate the molecular evolution and functional histories of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of scaffolding proteins

Q1. Nationality
China

Q2. Faculty / Graduation
Faculty of Policy Management / March 2024 Graduate

Q3. Country I am currently based in
Japan

Q4. Industry I work in
Job hunting, In graduate school (Master's)

Q5. Current job
I am currently researching about B cell related gastric cancer Immune

Q6. Resources I used when job hunting or applying to graduate programs
Job fairs and online networks

Q7. Japanese language proficiency at the time of graduation
JLPT N1

Q8. Advice or message for current GIGA students who will be job hunting or are considering graduate schools in Japan and abroad
Be brave to try and believe you can be better than others.

Q10. Is there anything you wish you had known or done differently as a student?
Nothing too much, but I wish I could seek more patterns about job hunting and consider seriously for my future path.

Q11. Academic fields I primarily studied at SFC
(1) Advanced Biosciences
Advanced Health Sciences / Systems Biology / Systems Medicine / Environmental Biosciences

Q12. Theme of your Graduation Project
Analysis of differential induction of proteins among SLFN11 inducible drugs

*I'm open to being contacted by current students. For contact information, please ask the Office of International Affairs. (Y.J.)
*This story was captured in 2025.

Q1. Nationality
Indonesia

Q2. Faculty / Graduation
Faculty of Policy Management / September 2022 Graduate

Q3. Country I am currently based in
Japan

Q4. Industry I work in
Finance and insurance

Q5. Current job
Working as a data management specialist (Operations) at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities

Q6. Resources I used when job hunting or applying to graduate programs
Online platforms, LinkedIn

Q7. Outside of my academic work at SFC, what helped you shape your academic/career path?
Internship and previous work experience (1 year contract at Deloitte)

Q8. Japanese language proficiency at the time of graduation
JLPT N1

Q9. Advice or message for current GIGA students who will be job hunting or are considering graduate schools in Japan and abroad
Start gathering information early and know more about your personality, core values and preferred work style then find possible jobs and industries that fits that. The actual job content can be learnt once you are on the job - I joined a finance company with no prior finance knowledge, but my skills of communicating and coordinating with various people became a core part of my job.

Q10. Is there anything you wish you had known or done differently as a student?
I would gather information earlier and talked more with my surroundings before the job hunting process began, it was difficult for me as I was job hunting during the peak of COVID-19.

Q11. Academic fields I primarily studied at SFC
(1) International Strategy
Exploring the World with Increasing Complexity / Regional Strategy / Tackling Transnational Problems / Diplomacy and Security

(2) Social Innovation, Management, and Organizations
Management Strategies and Startups / Organizational Management and Management Information Systems / Social Businesses, NPOs and NGOs / Community Design in the Information Society, SDGs / Sustainability

Q12. Theme of your Graduation Project
Impact of Fan Culture on Sustainability

Q1. Nationality
Indonesia

Q2. Faculty / Graduation
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies / September 2021 Graduate

Q3. Country I am currently based in
Japan

Q4. Industry I work in
Specialized services (e.g., consulting, auditing, public relations)

Q5. Current job
An exhibition company that supports Japanese companies to exhibit at exhibitions outside Japan and overseas companies to exhibit at exhibitions in Japan. We are the Japanese sales agent for companies such as Informa Markets and Dubai World Trade Centre.

Q6. Resources I used when job hunting or applying to graduate programs
METI Government of JAPAN Japan Internship Program

Q7. Japanese language proficiency at the time of graduation
JLPT N2

Q8. Advice or message for current GIGA students who will be job hunting or are considering graduate schools in Japan and abroad
Advance planning is strongly recommended

Q9. Is there anything you wish you had known or done differently as a student?
Starting entrepreneurial projects as soon as possible (ideally in year 1) despite lack of resources (capital, business networks, Japanese language skills, etc.)

Q10. Academic fields I primarily studied at SFC
(1) Language, Culture, and Communication
Using Language to Express, Communicate, and Make Meaning of the World / Language Education and Language Policy / Language and Its Relationship with Culture and the World / Language Use in Politics and Society

(2) Social Innovation, Management, and Organizations
Management Strategies and Startups / Organizational Management and Management Information Systems / Social Businesses, NPOs and NGOs / Community Design in the Information Society

(3) Advanced Information Systems
Internet Systems and Applications / Ubiquitous Information Systems / Computation Infrastructure / Knowledge and Information Systems

Q11. Theme of your Graduation Project
Happiness and economics

*I'm open to being contacted by current students. For contact information, please ask the Office of International Affairs. (N.Y.)
*This story was captured in 2025.

Q1. Nationality
Japan

Q2. Faculty / Graduation
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies / September 2020 Graduate

Q3. Country I am currently based in
Japan

Q4. Industry I work in
Information and communications, Transportation

Q5. Current job
Software Engineer at NYK Japan

Q6. Resources I used when job hunting or applying to graduate programs
LinkedIn, BizReach, Findy, Japan Dev

Q7. Outside of my academic work at SFC, what helped you shape your academic/career path?
Self study, internships, startup events

Q8. Japanese language proficiency at the time of graduation
JLPT N2

Q9. Advice or message for current GIGA students who will be job hunting or are considering graduate schools in Japan and abroad
Improve your Japanese and take the JLPT N1 or N2. Prepare for the SPI and make sure you note down the dates for job hunting. I would start job hunting in my second semester of year 2 or first semester of year 3.

Q10. Is there anything you wish you had known or done differently as a student?
I wish I had started job hunting way earlier. I had no idea what the deadlines were, and all my Japanese classmates seemed to know much better. SFC does not have a career fair or full fledged career paths for GIGA students, so many of my classmates either joined recruiting agencies or returned to their home countries. I had wished there was proper career support integrated with the Japanese language program that trained students not just for the JLPT but for career related guidance like the SPI and job interview preparation.

Q11. Academic fields I primarily studied at SFC
(1) Advanced Information Systems
Internet Systems and Applications / Ubiquitous Information Systems / Computation Infrastructure / Knowledge and Information Systems

(2)Advanced Design Studies
Digital Fabrication and Algorithmic Design / Art, Landscape, and Communication / Art, Science, and Performance / Pioneering New Frontiers in Circulation Designs and Community Development Practices

Q12. Theme of your Graduation Project
Happiness and economics

*I'm open to being contacted by current students. For contact information, please ask the Office of International Affairs. (D.H.)
*This story was captured in 2025.

Q1. Nationality
South Korea

Q2. Faculty
Faculty of Policy Management

Q3. Country I am currently based in
Japan

Q4. Industry I will work in
Information and communications, Transportation

Q5. Corporation of job offer
SoftBank Group Corp.

Q6. Why did you accept SoftBank's temporary job offer?
I liked SoftBank's casual atmosphere, and that's what made me decide on them. The job interview was not bound by traditional rules or customs, and I got the impression that the interviewers were looking at me as a person, or at how a student is. Also, I had high expectations for the telecommunications industry. While all of Japan is in economic downturn, telecommunications is one of the growing industries, and I felt that was where the challenge was.

Q7. Why did you decide on a career in Japan?
I'm interested in Japan's market trends, and that is why I decided on a career here. Today Japan faces the issue of declining birthrate and aging population. Since the issue is at an advanced stage compared to other countries, Japanese businesses are keeping up with its issue by proposing all sorts of products and services to consumers. Declining birthrate and aging population is not only Japan's crisis but spreading worldwide. I decided on working here to acquire Japanese companies' skills of being keen and responsive to social issues, and to eventually project what I learned to the world.

Q8. As an international student, what difficulties did you encounter during job hunting?
Language was a large obstacle for me. Because my proficiency was much lower than my Japanese friends, it was difficult for me to score high in written examinations. Vocabulary, reading comprehension, and grammar - I was inadequate in all of them, and had to try much harder than my friends. I also had difficulties with the application form and interview, and realized I needed to practice getting my point across to people. Staff at the Career Services Section and my Japanese friends, people who can look at me objectively, helped overcome my obstacles.

Q9. On the other hand, what are the advantages of being an international student during job hunting?
I guess the main advantage is having more experience than an average Japanese student. The advantage for any international student is having lived in 2, 3 or more countries, and having experienced the cultures and customs of each country. Through these experiences, international students possess concepts and critical thinking differing from Japanese students which become beneficial in job hunting. Being able to talk about my ideas and experiences creates at edge over other applicants, and also stirs interests on the interviewer's side.

Q10. What did you emphasize on during your years at SFC?
Since I did not join any student clubs, I focused on my studies at SFC. Focusing especially on languages and Seminar allowed me to gain diverse experience. Learning a foreign language not only teaches us grammar and vocabulary, for example, but also gives us a feel of the social and cultural aspects of that country. Studying languages gives us a global mindset to think things from a wider perspective. The Seminar, on the other hand, trains us to specialize in a specific field we are interested in. I could acquire knowledge in a wide variety of fields by joining different Seminars that matched my interests.

Q11. Do you have any advice for international students who will be going through job hunting in Japan?
The first and most important thing I can say is to never give up. During job hunting, everyone suffers a setback of some sort, so it's essential to keep pushing forward with a positive attitude. When I failed interviews, I'd blame myself and lose confidence. But you can't do that forever. Sooner or later, you have to change and start thinking maybe the corporation has a different outlook than you, or, they won't suit you anyway, and so on, and start planning your next goal. Don't be afraid of one failure, because someday a corporation that values you will come up. Keep your chin up until you find that corporation, and they find you.

*This story was captured in 2012.