New places, perspectives, and leadership lessons in Japan

After eight weeks of classroom work that began in January, the real lesson for a group of Aurora University students was waiting 6,500 miles away.

Eleven undergraduates, including Miu Yamaguchi '26, who assisted with guidance and translation; two graduate students; and Mary Tarling, director of global engagement and associate professor of accounting, departed for nine days in Japan, moving through the cities of Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo.

For most, the spring break trip was their first time in Asia. For all of them, it offered vivid lessons in the unexpected.

"When we arrived in Osaka, everyone in the car took turns pointing out something new," recalled Gloria Gonzalez '25, '26 MSW. "We were in awe at how many new things we were seeing all at once."

The Leadership: Inside and Out course, offered by the Office of Global Engagement, introduced students to mindfulness and servant leadership, frameworks built on listening, empathy, and presence. "Japan was a natural extension of that classroom," Tarling said.

"Japanese culture is grounded in being present and compassionate, two concepts at the heart of mindfulness," she said. "It is a perfect place to experience these concepts in everyday life and to sense the contrast with culture in the U.S."

For Accounting and Finance double major Matthew Dean '27, the trip challenged his assumptions. He expected the language barrier to be a significant obstacle. Instead, English signage was everywhere. He expected Tokyo to feel foreign. It instead reminded him of Chicago, with distinct districts serving different purposes, including financial centers, shopping and entertainment areas, quieter residential neighborhoods, and energy on the streets flowing late into the night.

"Immersing oneself is the only way to truly know what a culture is like, whether through its food, traditions, language, or by meeting new people," Dean said.

The group's visit to Hiroshima was a turning point for the students. Paper cranes, left inside the Children's Peace Monument in honor of Hiroshima survivor Sadako Sasaki, moved Gonzalez. Sasaki survived the atomic bomb but later died from leukemia caused by radiation exposure; the cranes were a testament to her life and to peace.

"I thought it was meaningful to see Japan's strong stance on nuclear weapons through the monument and their active promotion of world peace," she said.

Across the week, Tarling watched something shift in the students. "Students became more comfortable with the unfamiliar," she said. "That process leads you out of anxiety and into acceptance, which is also on the path to presence and mindfulness."

Business Administration major Daniel Alexandrov '27 came away from the trip with a new perspective. "Understanding how to integrate yourself is a humbling and valuable experience everyone should try at least once," he said.

By the time the group boarded their flight home from Tokyo, strong bonds had formed. "The whole group became friends," Tarling said, and all agreed they hope to stay friends.

Aside from friendships, Gonzalez is taking one Japanese concept home with her: kaizen - small, continuous improvements that compound over time.

"I still have a long way to go," she said. "But I'm saying yes more often."