Protected: 2025 Career Vision Conference

Noriko Inoue

After graduating from Arizona State University with a Master’s degree in Humanities, Noriko Inoue worked as an instructor at a major English conversation school and at a foreign-affiliated recruitment agency. At that recruitment agency, she gained extensive experience consulting with numerous job seekers as well as in interview coaching. Her training sessions conducted in both English and Japanese have been well-recieved by many participants.
Presentation

Ben Bareiszis

Originally from a small town in New Jersey, Ben Bareiszis is an International Sales Assistant at Keiyo Bend Co., Ltd. in Chiba, Japan, where he supports global operations in international trade, sales, and staff coordination. He also provides English–Japanese translation and interpretation for meetings and documents, helping bridge communication across international teams. Before his current role, Ben spent three years as an Assistant Language Teacher with the JET Programme in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, where he developed a passion for cross-cultural connection and a deep appreciation for the Japanese language.

Melany Yuin

Melany graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College with degrees in Linguistics and Art. Before JET, she was awarded a TESOL/TEFL certification whilst working for her family’s architectural business as an administrative assistant and managed her freelance illustrative career remotely. In her art career, she has initiated and contributed in 10+ international anthology projects and also collaborated with Korean skincare company COSRX to promote their products. Her passion to work with and learn from culturally diverse communities since high school led her to the JET Program where she assimilated into her beloved community in Akita Prefecture. After the JET Program, Melany found work in Tokyo as a lead preschool teacher for an international preschool and finds little joys in seeing her 2 year olds develop and grow communicatively and into their childhood. She is looking for opportunities to share her own artworks in Japan and is actively working on art projects.

Senie Calalang

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Senie is a UX Designer based in Tokyo. She was on the JET Programme from 2020 to 2025, where she worked at a private school in Tokyo’s suburbs.
During that time, she often combined her design background with her teaching, creating digital presentation materials for students, which piqued her curiosity to work in tech after JET. This led her to enrol part-time in the Le Wagon Web Development bootcamp, which she completed alongside her duties as an ALT.
Through a mix of online and in-person networking, she found a web development internship that eventually opened the door to her current role at Kort Valuta, a fintech company.
When Senie’s not working, you’ll often find her at a local livehouse, exploring Tokyo’s live music scene.

Amanda Lockwood

Amanda Lockwood was an ES-JHS ALT with the Yokote City Board of Education from 2017-2022! She is from Washington State in the US, and got her Bachelor’s in Japanese Language and International Studies at the University of Washington. Currently, she lives in Brisbane, Australia to study at the University of Queensland for a Masters of Arts in Translation and Interpreting (MATI). Her overall goal is to one day either do game localization, do community interpreting in a medical setting, or copy-edit translations. She loves cooking (and eating), drawing, skiing, taiko, and yapping people’s ears off about whatever her current obsession is over a nice glass of wine. She is honored to be a panelists for this year’s Conference, and looks forward to meeting everyone!

Annalyn Donaldson

Raised in New York City with great exposure to foreign languages and culture, a deep interest in languages blossomed in Annalyn. That turned into a World Languages bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Her first visit to Osaka, cemented in her interest in the JET Programme, for which she was an elementary and junior high school ALT after graduating in 2016, and this continued until 2020. During 2020 to 2023, Annalyn went back state-side to contemplate the next steps in her life. Her affinity for teaching – and desire to teach Japanese – only grew stronger, so she knew she wanted to pursue a masters involving language education. Taking advantage of the JET Programme scholarship at Showa Women’s University in Tokyo, she applied and is on track to graduate with an MA in Language Teaching and Communication. After her studies she hopes to teach Japanese to foreigners in Japan.
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Leah Gowron

Leah Gowron (Saitama, ALT 1990-91) managed global internships/career placements at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), overseeing the Fulbright, National Security Education Program (NSEP), UN Headquarters Internship Programme, US Foreign Service Exams, UN National Competitive Recruitment Exams and the Presidential Management Fellowship Program (PMF). She conducted workshops on career development focused on international policy and development, commercial diplomacy, and security/intelligence/non-proliferation.
As Director of Graduate Alumni Relations, Leah managed programs for alumni, coordinated global networking events and major data research projects. She spent four years in the private sector (Canada) after JET, developed orientation trainings for the Manitoba/Saskatchewan chapter (which she co-founded in 1992), focused on higher education and career development.
Retired from the Middlebury Institute in 2019, Leah relocated to Hawaii, and founded ReImagine You: Global Career Coaching. In her spare time, Leah trains for outrigger canoe events and does volunteer grant writing. 2025 marks the 25th year Leah has presented at the JET career conference, and she always enjoys the chance to connect with current and historic JETs!
Getting into Graduate School Presentation
Higher Education Funding and Scholarships List by Country
Resources for Graduate Schools and Scholarships in Japan
Transferable Skill Sets JETs Can Promote

Alice Bonamy

Alice Bonamy is originally from the south of France and came to Japan in 2011 as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) with the JET Programme. During her five years in Kyoto Prefecture, she fostered cultural exchange with rural communities through an extensive field trip program, led workshops on multiculturalism, interpreted and arranged delegations between French regional officials and Kyoto Prefecture, ending up with the cooperation agreement with Occitanie Region that continues to this day. Her work included wide-ranging interpretation and translation, bilingual content creation, intercultural communication lectures, and coordination of diplomatic and community events.
She then spent a year at Takara Shuzo, supporting product development and branding for Western markets. From 2017 to 2024, she served as the official interpreter for Japan’s Olympic track-cycling team, providing trilingual interpretation at both Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games, while coordinating logistics, communication, and technical documentation.
Since this year, she has been working as a freelance interpreter and translator, expanding into high-stakes events such as TICAD 9, the Osaka World Expo, and the upcoming Asian Games.

Grace Walsh

Grace graduated from Dublin City University with a degree in Applied Language and Translation Studies. Post graduation, she moved to Hamamatsu, Shizuoka as a CIR in 2021. While on JET, she engaged in more than just translation and interpretation tasks, but also a variety of activities including holding international exchange events and cultural classes for local residents. Seeking to expand upon her career in translation, she joined the in-house translation team at general trading company, Sojitz. In her free time, she enjoys cafe hopping, reading, and gaming.

Kevin Yuan

After graduating from Georgetown University with a double major in Japanese and Economics, Kevin moved to Japan on the JET Programme and worked as a CIR in Taki Town (Mie Prefecture) from 2018 to 2020. He then spent two and a half years at CLAIR as a Programme Coordinator, supporting the operations of JET from behind the scenes. Seeking to expand his career as a translator while also feeling reluctant to leave the public sector, he joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as an in-house Japanese-to-English translator in April 2023. On the side, he is also active as a freelance entertainment translator and has worked on nearly six dozen volumes of manga in addition to several light novels, video games, and films.

Ashley Oros

Ashley Oros is a Senior UI/UX Designer at Beatrust. She has lived in Japan for over 10 years and is originally from Texas in the US. Inspired by her love of art and early interest in Japanese culture, she studied Japanese, Design and Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin and eventually moved to Gunma, Japan through the JET Program (2014 – 2018). In her free time, Ashley enjoys bouldering, gaming, running and studying Japanese. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to her on LinkedIn!

Jacqueline Jean-Francois

After graduating from Hunter College through the CUNY (City University of New York) BA Program with a major in Japanese Linguistics and Communication, Jacqueline moved to Yokote City, Akita, where she worked from 2014-2019 as a junior high and elementary school ALT. During her time on the JET Programme, she actively participated in a variety of local and international community activities: from taiko drumming at local festivals and performing in musicals to painting murals on restaurant walls, creating artwork for DJs, appearing on the city’s YouTube channel and radio station, and doing Japanese–English translation work.
Since 2021, she’s been working as a UX/UI (User Experience/User Interface) designer at Amova Asset Management in Tokyo.
UX/UI Resources and Links

Sarah Rollins

Sarah is a former JET from the east coast of Canada who spent four years teaching in Sendai. During the height of COVID, with more time at home and Netflix thoroughly exhausted, she embarked on her first foray into coding, tinkering her way through online tutorials and small projects. After moving to Tokyo, she leveled up her skills at Le Wagon’s intensive web development bootcamp (where the coffee was strong and the debugging sessions stronger), and soon after landed her first role in the international tech sector. She currently works at InCloud as a Full Stack Developer and has navigated various projects that blend creativity with problem-solving, collaborating with teams across Japan and abroad—proving that her superpower is making computers do what they’re told, most of the time. Having lived and worked in Japan for over seven years, Sarah can often be found exploring offbeat corners of the country or cafe-hopping around Tokyo, always on the lookout for her next adventure.
IT Career Talk

Amélie Chenet-Smith

Amélie was a high school ALT in Toyama Prefecture from 2014 to 2017 and has since held roles at higher education institutions in Japan and the US. After the JET Programme, Amélie worked at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture, supporting all international university admissions procedures including overseas recruitment, application evaluation, enrollment processing, and database management. Since 2022, Amélie has been working at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA, first advising graduate students as a Student Services Coordinator and now working as the Applications Administrator in the Office of International Programs. In this current position, Amélie manages the University’s study abroad and international travel application system, helping to ensure all University community members can have safe and successful academic experiences abroad. Originally from Washington, DC, Amélie is passionate about international education and supporting student success.

Michael Clogston

Michael Clogston is a former JET Programme participant from 2017-2019 in Shimane prefecture as both an ALT and CIR in his small rural town. In the classroom, his experiences included working at about 12 schools with all their English needs, along with helping to coach the volleyball team. As a CIR, he translated historical documents, led tours, and helped facilitate exchange programs to the local schools. After the program, he furthered his studies at Keio University, Stanford, and UCSD. He now is back in the classroom as a secondary school teacher teaching English, math, and Japanese in California.

William Millar

William is the Head of Secondary at an international school in Tokyo. He grew up in Northern Ireland, where he also attended Ulster University, receiving his BA in Media Studies and Production, MA in TESOL, and Certificate in Teaching. He has taught in a variety of different educational facilities. Back in Northern Ireland, he taught international students, adults, and teenagers who had left school with few qualifications or had criminal backgrounds.
He made the move to Japan in November 2021, during the pandemic, and was a high school ALT placed in Unnan, Shimane. He loved Shimane, but having always lived in the countryside, made the decision to try the big city. He moved to Tokyo in 2023 and has been working at an international school ever since. He started as a subject teacher (English, Media Studies and Global Perspectives) at the international school before moving into his current role as Head of Secondary.

Amy Shiroma

Amy Shiroma (Kumamoto, 2018-2023) presently serves as the JET Program and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Scholalrship Coordinator at the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu. After obtaining her master’s degree in 2018, she spent five years on JET – three as an ALT and two as the CIR PA. Once her time on JET came to a close, Amy joined the Consulate General of Japan. At the Consulate, Amy leverages the skills she gained and developed on JET to promote and foster cultural exchange and understanding between the United States, Hawaiʻi, and Japan. And, as the JET Program and MEXT Scholarship coordinator, she is excited to extend the same opportunities she had back to her community.

Cori Hallock

Cori Hallock has worked with Japan-related non-profits for over 20 years, most notably, Japan-America Societies (JAS). As a university student, she was an intern with the JAS in her native state of Indiana. She worked as Program Manager for the Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth for several years during which time she managed 1000s of volunteers and organized over 30 annual business and educational programs. She later returned to JASDFW as Interim Executive Director. She served on the board of the Fort Worth Japanese Society for 8 years as chair of the Membership and Development Committee and chair of the Japanese American Oral History Project, obtaining the organization’s first grants from the Japan Foundation and the North Texas Community Foundation’s Fund to Advance Racial Equality. She is a founding board member of the JAS of Miami/South Florida and currently serves as President of the Board.
Cori taught English in Hokkaido through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program and is the President of the Florida JET Alumni Association. She also serves on the board of the John Manjiro Whitfield Center for International Exchange and the legal and governance committee of the National Association of Japan-America Societies.
She is licensed to practice law in Texas (inactive) and received her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School. She graduated from Seton Hall University with a B.A. in Spanish, a B.A. in Asian Area Studies (Japanese), and a minor in Business Administration. She attended the Summer Intensive Program at Sophia University (上智大学)

Mary Ho

Mary Ho graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce (2011–2015) and studied as an exchange student at the University of Tokyo in 2015. She began her career as a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) through the JET Programme in Kyotanabe City, Kyoto Prefecture, where she worked from 2017 to 2021, supporting local international exchange and community programs. Since 2021, Mary has been an Inward Investment Adviser at the British Consulate General in Osaka, helping Japanese companies explore business opportunities and investment in the United Kingdom. With experience in international business, cross-cultural communication, and public service, she is passionate in bringing global perspective to foster connections between Japan and the UK.

Jade Nunez

Originally from France, Jade majored in Japanese Language and Culture at Inalco University in Paris. After obtaining her master’s degree, she moved to Japan and worked as a Coordinator for International Relations at Toyooka City Hall in Hyogo Prefecture for 5.5 years. During that time, she contributed to promoting the region by guiding journalists and travel agencies, training local guides, developing tourism activities, managing the Visit Kinosaki website and social media, and attending trade shows both in Japan and overseas.
She is now based in Tokyo, working for a consulting and marketing company specialized in inbound tourism, where she helps lesser-known regions across Japan promote their destinations and develop their inbound tourism projects.

Laura Pollacco

Laura is a freelance writer, photographer, and, most recently, content creator, living in Tokyo. Originally returning to Japan to work in film production, Laura soon found that the writing work she was doing to keep money in her bank account was actually becoming a legitimate career, and so switched course and became a freelance writer/journalist. Her work, both written and photographed, has appeared in The Japan Times, Tokyo Weekender, Reuters, Wanderlust, Metropolis, and Japan Today. She has spent the last few years navigating Japan’s bureaucracy as a freelancer and is still not sure exactly what’s going to happen next for her.

Mike Taylor

Mike, originally from Scotland, spent 4 years in Fukui then one year in Ishikawa on JET. After JET, he began work as a tour guide and now runs the Kanazawa Regional Office for a tour company. He always tells his customers “it’s about as close to a dream job as I’ll ever get, since I spend my days visiting some of Japan’s best sites!”
He is looking forward to talking to you all!

Masashi Shibata

Head, Regional Self-support Promotion Division, Group for Regional Vitalization, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Masashi Shibata is in charge of promoting “Local Vitalization Cooperator” in the Group for Regional Vitalization in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. He has been involved in Kagoshima Prefectural Office, Digital Agency since 2021.
Presentation

Shelby Brown

Shelby was born and raised in Arkansas, USA. He came to Japan to participate in the JET program in July of 2017 as an ALT stationed in Fukushima prefecture. There he picked up kendama as a hobby for two years before participating online in the Kendama World Cup in 2021 where he then learned about Nagai City and the Local Vitalization Cooperator (kyoryoku-tai) system. In October of 2021, he moved to Nagai City, Yamagata as a kyoryoku-tai to promote Nagai City throughout Japan and overseas through Nagai’s “city culture (kendama).” He planned, held, and hosted events, participated in festivals, and performed at various venues as a means to bring people to Nagai. His three-year term ended in March, 2025, and he is now Nagai City’s area project manager where he manages a team of kyoryoku-tai, and works closely with tourism bureaus and the city hall to make Nagai the mecca for kendama.
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