Two Lucky CELOP Alumni Gain More than English Language Skills

in Highlight
July 30th, 2019

Two CELOP alumni with a CELOP faculty member, reuniting in 2019 during a visit to Boston.
From left to right: Haru, Beth Fincke, and Mizuho

While studying abroad in the U.S., two CELOP students not only developed their English language skills but also a special relationship with one another. Haru and Mizuho, two students originally from Chuo University in Japan, bonded while enrolled in a 4-week CELOP program almost nine years ago.

Their unique program combined English language studies with volunteer experiences in the Greater Boston area. Haru chose the program after hearing about it on-campus at Chuo University and learning that it would help him gain greater understanding of the U.S. and improve his English.

Mizuho, a former Red Cross youth volunteer, was attracted to it because of its exciting community service element During the program, students prepared meals for people with chronic illnesses, helped with clean-up efforts for the Charles River that runs close to the Boston University campus, spent time with underserved children, and visited the Perkins School for the Blind to better understand how it feels to live with a disability.

Beth Fincke, a CELOP faculty member who served as the curriculum coordinator and program instructor, recalls that Haru’s and Mizuho’s class was particularly committed to serving the people of Boston. She remembers, “Haru and Mizuho were fearless as they practiced speaking English and connected with all different people from the community.”

Beyond the academic and cultural benefits of the course, Haru and Mizuho discovered something greater: a budding connection in their relationship, developed, in part, through the program’s focus on group projects and teamwork.

They recall their relationship being “already [something] special” just midway through the four-week program. After returning to Chuo, they both graduated, and in 2015 they married.

Reflecting on their experience at CELOP, Mizuho says, “CELOP classmates became best friends to me through this program… if I meet them again, we can easily go back such like we were before. I’m proud of them.” Haru added, “I think CELOP was a kind of the first place that I realized how English is important to me and how fun it is to communicate with foreign people in a different language. And this experience has accelerated me to study English.”

Today, Haru and Mizuho are based in Tennessee. Haru works for a Japanese company located there and is in charge of optimizing the production of car components. His goal is to launch a project focused on autonomous self-driving vehicles. Mizuho is continuing her English studies and works as an assistant designer for a wedding stationery company. They both continue to utilize the English language skills they developed at CELOP, and they returned to CELOP during a recent visit to Boston to spend time with the school they grew so fond of during their time here. Their former professor Beth Fincke was thrilled to visit with Haru and Mizuho during their trip to Boston and talk about how they’ve grown since being part of the CELOP program nine years ago.

From left to right: CELOP faculty member Beth Fincke, Haru, and classmates. Taken during the program nine years ago.