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POWELL, Wyoming — Natsuki Kobayashi from Nagano, Japan, will start a year-long teaching fellowship at Northwest College in August and become the first resident of the college’s new Intercultural House.
Kobayashi holds a bachelor’s degree in sports and health from Niigata University and certifications as an athletic trainer and personal trainer. Interestingly, her Pilates and English studies were undertaken in the United States.
The Big Horn Basin community will have several opportunities to meet Kobayashi during her residency. She’ll be enrolled in NWC classes and featured in public programs throughout her stay, and will also team-teach Japanese language studies with Milo Asay, an ESL instructor at NWC.
“Natsuki’s contributions will add challenging but rewarding enrichment to our already-popular Japanese language classes,” Asay said. A Cowley native, Asay lived in Tokyo for 18 years and said he is eager to augment this cultural dimension to his students’ experience of the language.
Intercultural Program Manager Emelee Volden concurred, saying in addition to Kobayashi’s contributions to NWC’s newest language program, her year-long residency will be a fitting way to launch the college’s new Intercultural House.
“The Intercultural House will provide numerous opportunities for cultural exchange,” Volden said. “And having a fellow-in-residence from Japan will give NWC students and community members opportunity for more in-depth exploration of East Asia and the Japanese language.”
Kobayashi and Asay will team-teach First Year Japanese I from 11-11:50 a.m. Monday through Thursday beginning August 24. Second Year Japanese II is offered from 2-2:50 p.m. the same days. Community members interested in auditing or enrolling can call 307-754-6073 to register.
Kobayashi’s fellowship was negotiated through the Alliance for Language Learning and Educational Exchange.
