Senior Profile

Eric Franz '07 (Political Science major, Japanese minor)

“Studying Japanese at Lewis & Clark College is a life changing experience. I transferred to the College as a political science major with only one year of Japanese under my belt. But after only a year of instruction, I received second-place at the Toyama Cup Japanese speech contest and was soon making plans to study in Japan. I conducted original research with Professor Suttmeier on 1960s social movements during the beginning of the summer, then spent a number of weeks near Nagoya. In the Fall semester, I participated on the College’s Washington D.C. Program and worked as an intern at the Asian Policy Point, a Japan-focused think- tank. I am currently hoping to work this summer at the US State Department. I did not expect my life to take this fortunate turn, and it would not have been possible if not for the wonderful instruction and insightful help and advice from Professor Suttmeier and Shinohara-sensei.

“Lewis & Clark is an exceptional place to study Japanese. In addition to the great instruction and small class sizes, there is an incredibly active Japanese community on campus. Dozens of Japanese exchange students study here each year and take part in the many events like calligraphy and cooking and of course, the International Fair. This environment inspired me to shift the focus of my academics to make Japan a major part of my future career plans, which include the JET CIR position and hopefully, the US foreign service.”