(Japanese) I was encouraged to go back to school and start something, so I first applied to the oriental (Asian) language department at UCLA. And I started going to graduate school. My neighbors helped me with the kids , picking them up and occasionally I had a hard time, like when my kids got injured. I tried to continue my studies, but I thought it might be too difficult, as I was told that I couldn’t take English as a second language. I had to take another foreign language, like Chinese, French, German, and pass the fluency test in order to get a degree.
At that time, my sister said something like, “You like to care for people, so I think you should shift your focus to social service.” And since she went to school here, I was convinced enough to change departments.
And social, I mean, I studied the oriental language in graduate school for about a year and a half. Then I applied to the social welfare (program), hoping to become a social worker. Luckily I got accepted and what’s more, I was able to get the scholarship I applied for, and I remember that it covered the babysitting fees, which was good. And the tuition was free, too, I mean, I didn’t have to pay it, so I was very grateful.
Date: August 28, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Mitsue Watanabe
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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