OU welcomes Japanese students for two-week ESL program

This week, Oakland University welcomed 14 high school students from Shizuoka Seiko Academy, an all-boys school in Shizuoka, Japan, to campus as part of the university’s Intensive American Culture and English (I-ACE) program. 

Coordinated through OU’s Office of Global Engagement and ESL Institute, the program helps students hone their English through intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Instruction is specifically designed to help students develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. 

During the two-week program, students live on campus, meet OU faculty and staff, tour campus buildings and take part in campus activities. They also immerse themselves in American culture through weekend excursions to popular Detroit area cultural destinations, including the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Riverfront.

At $2,600 per person, the program offers a lower-cost, customizable way for international students and other international participants to pursue education and cultural experiences in the heart of Southeastern Michigan. 

“I-ACE introduces Oakland University and the metro area to international partners and students from around the world,” said OU’s Executive Director of Global Engagement, Rosemary Max. “We are excited to show off OU and what we have to offer.”

During a recent class session, OU Linguistics Professor Kuniko Nielsen spoke to the students about her experiences as a Japanese immigrant adjusting to life in the U.S. She asked students about their motivations for participating in the I-ACE program and many shared their goals to improve their English and experience American culture and university life.

Ethan Smith, an Oakland University alumnus and English teacher at Shizuoka Seiko Academy, is chaperoning the students during the program. Smith graduated from OU in 2011 with a degree in Japanese Language and Literature and has taught English in Japan for over a decade. Having studied abroad in Japan as an OU student, he believes in the value of cultural exchange initiatives like the I-ACE program.

“I think OU is the best place to do this, not only because it’s very safe – which the students’ parents were really happy to hear – but also because there’s a wide diversity of students here,” Smith said. “In Japan, it’s pretty much 99% Japanese, so when the students come here and see students of different ethnicities, I think that’s one of the main experiences that I’m really happy they’re getting and being here at OU makes it that much more special to me.”