The first Alumni Association meeting for foreign undergraduate and graduate school alumni of OKU was held in Taipei, Taiwan on July 16 (Saturday). Seventeen alumni and former exchange students attended.
The meeting is held to promote interaction and exchange among foreign undergraduate and graduate school alumni and to build a human network connecting OKU with the international community.
Professor Yuri Hasegawa, member of our International Center, gave the opening remarks. After that, Mr. Deshao Liu, a graduate of the Master’s program who majored in Art Education, gave a ceremonial address as a representative of graduate school alumni, and participants introduced themselves in a very friendly atmosphere. Many graduates had been able to apply the things they learned in Japan to their jobs, which included teaching Japanese at a university, teaching at junior high and high schools, working at publishing and trading companies, and doing translation and interpreting. They exchanged information with one another and younger alumni asked for advice from older ones.
Mr. Liu, who is a professor at National Taipei University of Education, an OKU partner school, said, “Ever since we signed the partnership agreement in 2008, we have been seeing great results from interaction between students from the two schools. I am happy to see so many alumni gathered here today as well.” Assistant Professor Yuxiang Fu of National Pingtung University, which signed a partnership agreement with OKU in 2015, said, “It is such a happy coincidence to be partnering with my alma mater OKU. I look forward to further exchange between our schools.”
Feedback from participants included: “It took me back to my university days and was really fun” and “I definitely want to attend another one soon”.