Flourishing at Northwestern

Megumi says his home country of Japan is like a forest of cherry blossoms each spring. As an international student, Megumi has blossomed far from home as a musician and within Northwestern’s host family community.

Welcomed
One of the strengths of Northwestern’s international student program would have to be the host family system. My host family has been very accepting and welcoming.

Harmony
I love to sing. I appreciate the improvement in my singing skills from being in the choir; I also appreciate the connections I am able to have with my friends in choir.

Overseas connection
I transferred to Northwestern because the college accepted all my previous credits. My previous school in Japan has a good connection with Northwestern, which helped me transfer. The biggest reason I chose to major in psychology is because it sounded the most interesting, especially child psychology.

A host of families
One of the strengths of Northwestern’s international student program would have to be the host family system. International students leave not only their family but also their home country, so getting all the support they can is crucial, especially if it’s their first time living in the United States. I live off campus, and my host family has been very accepting and welcoming. I have also met host families of other international students, and they were all very warm people.

Making beautiful music
I sing tenor in the A cappella Choir. I didn’t take any voice lessons prior to coming to Northwestern, but I love to sing. I appreciate the improvement in my singing skills from the choir experience; I improved in sight-singing and listening to others who are singing.

I also appreciate the connections I am able to have with my friends in choir; the random banter and interactions in the tenor section are always fun. Also, I play keys and acoustic guitar for a student band, DiverCity; five of our six members are international students, hence the name.

Cherry blossom country
After college, I plan to go back to my home country and find a job that has to do with English. One of the things I love about Japan is the cherry blossoms. During spring you can see almost a forest of cherry blossom trees.