Education

B.A., Psychology and Spanish, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2014

My Background

Hi! I’m Jalisa, and I am the Global Experiences Coordinator for the College of Education and Human Sciences. I was born and raised in Beatrice, NE so I’ve been a husker fan for life. After graduating, I was accepted into the JET program to teaching English in Mie, Japan. While there, I taught Japanese students from pre-kindergarten all the way to junior high school. I also got the opportunity to engage in local cultural events, as well as share my own culture. These hands-on experiences fueled my love of culture and helped create better understanding between me and my students. I also volunteered my time at local English exchange clubs in my free time.

My Study/Work Abroad

My first experience was to Alicante, Spain for a month-long intensive language course. It showed me how different and exciting other cultures could be and how amazing it is to get to experience them. I then studied in Querétaro, Mexico for a fall semester. I gained many new friendships with students, not only from Mexico, but with the other students from around the world. It really opened my eyes, and I loved learning about all the differences between cultures. Then I took two more trips, a 2-week trip to Australia and a month-long trip to India as graduation presents to myself. After graduating, I took part in the JET program in Mie, Japan for 7 years. Then taught preschool through elementary students at a private preschool for another 2 years before returning to the States.

While working in Japan, I also took personal trips to South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

My Ideal Next Travel Destination

Right now, I would love to go back to Japan to see my friends, but in the future, I would love to visit Greece, New Zealand, or Brazil.