Hi, my name is Andie D'Agostino. I am a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. I am an Architectural Studies major with a minor in Sociology. After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in urban planning and community development.

My name is Rachel and I am in love with traveling. I come from California and I am currently studying digital media at the University of Rochester. I am an avid watcher of TV, eating delicious food, and fan of long walks on the beach. Exploring new places and learning about the world are my passions and I hope to share them with anyone I can.

My name is Brennan Weiss and I am an aspiring international news reporter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am a Journalism major with French and Global Studies minors at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Since spending my freshman year of university in Florence, Italy, I’ve grown to love adventure and travel. I hope my work as an international journalist allows me to navigate the world endlessly until every culture, land, and people has been met.

Hi, my name is Ashley Bell and I am a Junior Political Science major at Santa Clara University. I'll be spending my spring semester in Nagoya, Japan and am very excited to share my experiences with you. I hope you enjoy seeing Japan through my eyes!

Hi all! My name is Ben Krieger, and I am a rising Junior at Miami University in Oxford, OH. I grew up in the Cleveland area as an aspiring professional football player, but clearly that is a path that I've abandoned because I'll be in Japan during my first season away from the game in fourteen years! I'm very excited to be in Tokyo for the fall, and I've been preparing to be able to at least survive in Tokyo by studying Japanese for the first time ever in Beppu, Japan this summer. I may not be great yet, but hopefully you'll watch me grow as I blog my way through the fall program!

My name is Shannon Sunnergren, a 20 year old from the Bay Area. I'm a business student, and lacrosse player, at the University of Redlands.

Hello, my name is Sofia Rosales Juarez! I am a junior at Carleton College; I am majoring in Studio Art and concentrating in Women's and Gender Studies. I hope to go to grad school after graduating and become an Art Therapist. I have loved and done digital and photography for 8 years and as a passionate artist, I hope to delight you with my photographs!

Hi there! I'm Matt Beckstrom, and I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, where I currently live and work. I'm a theatre major with a concentration in acting at Skidmore College. This fall, as a rising junior I am studying at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. I've had a passion for photography for most of my life, and I am so happy to be able to share my experiences with IES.