Naomi Osawa
International Student - Naomi Osawa
Naomi Osawa grew up with her father, Seiichi, her mother, Fumie, and her younger sister, Miki in a town located in the prefecture of Gunma, Japan which is two hours north of Japan’s capital, Tokyo. It was there that she attended Takasaki Girls’ High School and made the decision to come to FM.
“Knowing that I would be an international student,” says Naomi, “I thought it would be a good idea to attend a college relatively small in size as opposed to going to a big four-year university. That way I would be able to get used to the English-speaking environment and to American culture more easily.”
When Naomi arrived at the campus, she decided to major in Liberal Arts/General Studies. “Even though I was determined to study either International Politics or International Relations at the undergraduate level, I chose to focus on General Studies at FM,” says Naomi. “I wanted to acquire knowledge on broader subjects and to familiarize myself with English words used in a variety of topics before I proceeded to a four-year university.”
Being an international student, Naomi felt the need to work harder to achieve her goals and she’d like to credit certain faculty and staff who made a valuable impact on her life. “While FM faculty and staff members are all very friendly and concerned about students, there are several individuals whom I’d like to mention,” states Naomi. “In academic contexts, Mr. Kover and Dr. DiNitto helped me a lot by constantly encouraging me to work hard to achieve my goals. I loved their classes and I learned so much from them. In a non-academic environment, faculty members such as Mrs. Spencer, Mrs. Doherty, and Mrs. Mason remain very important in my life. When I was feeling down or when I was feeling lost, all three were always there for me. I knew I could count on them for anything. We also had a lot of fun together, whether we went on a trip or attended a party! Without these five individuals, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
It didn’t take Naomi long to feel comfortable in her FM surroundings. She was President of International Student Club for the entire time she attended and contributed to the creation of a new Rotaract Chapter on-campus as well. She attended the Student Government meetings periodically and worked as a Peer Tutor in the Learning Center teaching fellow students Writing and General Psychology. “The whole experience was just full of fun and I feel I accomplished a lot through each of the roles I played in these extracurricular activities,” exclaims Naomi.
Now, a senior at SUNY Binghamton majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Affairs, Naomi continues to be involved with extracurricular activities. She serves on the Executive Board for the University’s Japanese Association as well as the Amnesty International Chapter.
“I want to establish my career in the field of human rights advocacy,” Naomi tells us. “I want to contribute to the lives of individuals who are in need of help to survive. It doesn’t matter where in the world. For example, I want to help children in developing countries who have to work all day long to support their family. Throughout my junior and senior years, I have interned at the United Nations and volunteered at several human rights NGOs located in Manhattan. For the rest of my life, I want to work for international organizations that promote human rights. After I graduate from Binghamton University this May, I will be working in the United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs which I hope will be the starting point of my professional career!”
Naomi notes that the education she received at FM “is certainly as great an education that I am currently receiving. My experience at FM has been very important in my life. I often think of those great moments and think how glad I am that I went there!”
Also important to Naomi is her family who she continues to keep in touch with. “I appreciate my family so much,” she says. “I talk to them on the phone once or twice a week. I usually visit them in Japan once a year for the New Year’s.”
