Japanese culture and language have always fascinated CRSM ’20 Alum and Posse Scholar recipient, Edwin Morales. His interest was so profound that he chose to study abroad in Nagoya, Japan during his Junior year of college and pursue Japanese as one of his majors at St. Olaf College. Currently, double majoring in Biology and Japanese, and on the pre-med track, Edwin opted to study abroad at Nagoya University where he was able to take some classes in English, however most classes were predominantly in Japanese. In order to qualify to study abroad in Japan, Edwin explains that, “as part of our curriculum, we all needed to take a Japanese language exam and depending on our scores, we would be placed in one of the 7 Japanese language classes. This was really fun because the upper level classes I took would allow us to take classes fully in Japanese.”
Learning Japanese and completely immersing yourself in a new culture is no easy feat. Edwin embraced this opportunity and excelled. Edwin reflects, “overall Japan was a very unique experience and I would highly recommend visiting Japan to learn more about their culture and traditions. It was very interesting to have been able to learn the language and live in a culture very different to mine, and it has definitely helped me grow and see the world in a new perspective!”
When asked to recall a memorable experience from his time in Kyoto, Edwin talked about a time he “was able to visit an onsen (Japanese Hot Spring), various temples and shrines, … during the fall season.” Edwin remarks, “I went with three friends and it was truly something that was fun but challenging. On our way there we took the train, but had gotten lost since we got off at a different stop. We had to speak Japanese and ask questions to see if we were going the correct way. Thankfully, we were but our estimated time of arrival went from a 2 hour ride to a 4 hour ride.” While this experience was stressful for Edwin at the time, he now recognizes how that made him more confident as a traveler and also in his language skills.
Edwin’s love for adventure and learning was apparent as a student at CRSM. During his time at Cristo Rey St. Martin, he amazed his fellow students and our staff with his ambition and drive. Principal Odiotti states that “Edwin demonstrated that success knows no boundaries when determination and dedication lead the way. It is one of the reasons he was nominated and was recognized as our Spirit of St. Martin de Porres winner for his class for best living out our school’s mission. It is not surprising that he continues to thrive in college and beyond.”