I am a graduate student at Kent State pursuing my Masters in Translation Studies with a concentration in Japanese. I graduated with Beloit College with a degree in East Asian studies with a focus on Japanese language and culture- which is what I tutor! I've been studying the Japanese language for over 20 years. I am certified at the N2 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and am currently working towards N1, the highest level offered.

Japanese is a wonderful albeit intimidating language to learn, but with the right support, tools, and attitude it is absolutely doable. I know how important a strong foundation is- I have a great deal of experience from my own self-directed learning and in tutoring other students at the college level. I'm a firm believer that learning in a vacuum amounts to little more than rote memorization and that seeing in context through media is absolutely essential to the learning process.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading in both English and Japanese, playing video games, watching anime spending time with my wife and two cats, and doing photography.