Kristeria Wolf

“I want to be a part of the JET program and teach English in Japan while getting a master’s degree in Japanese. While there, I want to continue my study of martial arts with the teachers in Japan that only speak Japanese.”

“The professors are willing to help you. When I was a double major, Professor Christine Blaine was an amazing help in my chemistry classes. She’s excited to teach her classes. Right now, Wang Sensei has been a big help to me. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the best student and struggle a lot with keeping up, but Wang Sensei cares about that and is willing to help. She still even asks me if I’m okay from my concussion last year.”

“That’s honestly hard to pin down, but I’d probably say Treble Choir. It’s nice at the end of the day to be able to just practice music and not have to worry about anything else for that one hour. Also, there are a lot of great people in it and I have met some of my best friends in that class.”

“We have a Martial Arts Club on campus! I joined this year as a way to make new friends with similar interests. Everyone there is very welcoming and kind! This past month or so, I have been going to Poetry Underground meetings. It’s been fun going and trying cool writing activities and listening to others writing about whatever they want to write about.”

“I would have to say Jewish Bible Study. I’m in that class right now, and it’s a lot of writing. I’m not the strongest writer, but the topic is interesting, and Professor Eich is an amazing teacher who loves talking about the Bible.”

“I got to live on campus this last summer while working. LMI is a great place with good pay. They also paid money toward tuition and let me have a flexible work schedule.

“I’ve always been in choir since I started going to school. Carthage lets me keep singing here in Treble Choir. Christmas Fest is stressful, but it’s very rewarding when you look at recordings of it. Everyone coming together to make an amazing show and it coming together well is really gratifying.”

“I received the Japanese Language Scholarship. There was a test and an interview which terrified me. Thankfully, it did not have to be in Japanese, and I met Wang Sensei. She and I talked about martial arts, Aikido specifically, and why I wanted to study Japanese. When I got the letter, I was ecstatic. It meant to me I could go to a school with professors that cared and had opportunities to learn as much as I wanted.”

“Some of my favorite times have been in the Tower lounges, watching movies with friends. We all get snacks and just watch whatever we want to. Going to the Caf with your best friends is always fun. My friends and I try to all get dinner together once a week at least, and we’re the loudest people in the Caf!”

“I love the outdoor patio in the Caf. Now that it’s finally warming up, you can sit outside eating and enjoy the view of the lake.”

“Probably the overlap of people. In many clubs and classes, you get people from all departments and bond over a few things. It’s great to be able to make these kinds of connections with others when you might not have been given a chance to at a bigger school.”

“My 8-year-old self would think I’m crazy. I was always told I should go into STEM as a kid, so that’s what I said I would do. But I also think my 8-year-old self would be happy that I’m learning to be able to teach others eventually. Also that I am still doing Aikido and will be able to study in Japan.”

“Japanese is a hard language, but the TLEs and Wang Sensei are amazing teachers. You’ll find a lot of people in the department who want to learn about Japan just as much as you do. My advice is to get the textbooks early. If you’re thinking of majoring in Japanese, I’d pick up the Genki Textbook a year before you come to college.”

“The beautiful campus and small class sizes are what brought me here first. But what really got me was the teachers I met on my tours here. They all seem to have a passion for what they teach and care about the students. When I first came to Carthage, my plan was to double major in Japanese and neuroscience, Carthage being one of the few schools that had both as majors.”