I studied abroad in a junior year of high school and realized my lack of English language skills. I chose HITC because I wanted to expand my opportunities in the future by being able to improve my English language abilities. There are many things I wasn’t used to when I first came to Hawai’i, but I was able to work together with my fellow students to overcome any obstacle. At HTIC, the class sizes are small. You can work one-on-one with the teachers, which makes it easier to talk with them about anything. Since English is indispensable for my school life, I naturally acquired a better attitude when studying. Since I enrolled at HTIC, my values have changed and I feel that I’m fulfilling my life goals.

Originally my dream was to speak English, so I thought studying abroad was the best way to go and chose HTIC as the first step toward my dream. I have only had online classes so far, but I think the small class sizes are very beneficial for my education. I first went to HTIC through international programs and I was able to have fun interacting with various people at their sports festival. The tutors are very helpful and can teach you many things that may be hard to understand in class. Through online English conversation sessions, I can talk and play games with many teachers and students.

I chose HTIC because I wanted to be able to speak English. When I first became a part of HTIC, I could not understand much English and things were very difficult, but thanks to the support of the teachers and other students, I was able to grow, learn, and adapt. After the 6 months at HTIC, I left the dorms and started living in a homestay until graduation. At my homestay, I had more opportunities to speak English outside of school, which is when I felt my English skills really grow. At HTIC, there are Japanese students who you can communicate with, making it an easy transition for people who are not yet confident in their English abilities. The English proficiency I was able to attain and various experiences I acquired at HTIC were lifechanging to me and continue to help me in my new life at CSU Northridge.

I decided to enroll in HTIC because I wanted to get a job using English in the future. In 2020, I took online classes in Japan from the beginning of my enrollment. Even under such circumstances, the instructors at HTIC were very happy to have the opportunity to speak English with their students. The instructors and staff always think of us students first. Everyone has anxiety and confusion about living in an unfamiliar environment, but I believe HTIC is a great place to increase your options for the future.

Initially, I was planning on going to university in Korea or Japan after high school, but I didn’t feel completely ready to move to another country yet, so I decided to come to HTIC first, since I knew about their study abroad programs in East Asia. During my time here, I’ve met a number of incredible people, such as my friends and professors, and made plenty of unforgettable memories in and out of class. The small classroom size at HTIC made it easy for me to communicate with my professors and get proper assistance if needed. The short ten-week term period also taught me how to be productive with my time and assignments. At HTIC, I discovered things about myself and learned valuable lessons for the future.

I gave up my dream of art when I was little and made my goal in life to be able to speak English. HTIC not only made my dream come true, but also gave me an irreplaceable experience. Through volunteer activities, I was able to interact with the local community in Hawaii. I also made friends with many students at the University of Hawaii through club activities. I am deeply grateful to everyone who welcomed me like a family. My time in the amazing environment of Hawaii taught me how to live my future in the future. Thanks to the teachers and staff at HTIC who helped me along the path to my future and gave me advice, I was able to decide on the four-year university I wanted to transfer to and smoothly transfer there. As an international student, studying abroad in the United States was not always easy, but it became easy because I had people who supported me. Even now, I look back at the two and a half years I spent at HTIC as some of the most life-changing years of my life. In the future, I would like to study mental illnesses and developmental disorders at a graduate school in the United States and someday get a job that will give back to the people of Hawaii.