Three recent graduates have been selected for positions through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, administered by the Japanese Embassy.
Maeve Gennett (Interdisciplinary Studies, Japan Focus ’23) and Joseph Nelson (International Business ’24) have been appointed as Coordinators for International Relations (CIR). The CIR position, awarded to less than 10% of JET participants, requires advanced Japanese language proficiency. CIRs work in local government offices facilitating international exchange activities and providing translation/interpretation services.
Both Gennett and Nelson were recognized with the “Outstanding Japanese Award” among Japanese minor students upon graduation. Their qualifications include study abroad experience – Gennett at Tokyo’s Waseda University for one year and Nelson at Kansei Gakuin University for one semester – as well as internships with the Japan-America Society of Southern Colorado.
Gunnar Anderson, a Computer Science major who graduated in May 2025, has been selected as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). In this role, he will support English language education in Japanese public schools. Anderson has been working as a Japanese tutor at the Excel Languages Center this academic year.
The UCCS Japanese program has successfully placed 10 students in the JET Program since the resumption of the program post-COVID-19.
Additionally, Nelson has been selected as one of 89 Youth Ambassadors for the American Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, chosen from a competitive pool of 1,500 applicants. This program, established by Sister Cities International (founded by President Eisenhower in 1956), involves
welcoming visitors and providing detailed exhibition explanations, requiring extensive knowledge of American culture and history. Nelson will serve in this role until beginning his CIR position in July.