Seeking more than the rural village of Pleasantville, hidden away in the crevice of Westchester County, junior Jason Hui made a habit of packing his studies and bringing them with him through his travels. Hui chose Pace, not only for the digital cinema and filmmaking major, but for their study abroad program.

“I always wanted to study abroad in Asia just because at the time I was infatuated with things like Japanese anime, food…” Hui said. “I myself, being Chinese, had plenty of that kind of culture in my life.”

In the spring 2018 semester, Hui studied abroad in Tokyo and and out of that experience, began his East Asian Studies minor. There was a limited selection of classes that Hui could take in Japan due to the language barrier. Out of the classes offered in English, Hui ended up taking three courses that would count towards his East Asians Studies minor. As a requirement for Musashi University in Tokyo, he was also required to take a Japanese course.

When he returned from Tokyo, he continued pursuing two minors, one in History and one in East Asian Studies. Hui took his first Japanese class on the New York City campus in the fall 2017 and has one more city course to complete the minor: Modern Japan.

“It was lucky for me that the courses that were being offered in English were able to come back as transferable for this East Asian Studies minor… as well as for the History minor” Hui said.

Hui has been integrating traveling into his schedule for most of his college experience. Although he enjoys the experience, he advises students who wish to take city classes to schedule accordingly.

“I definitely think it is a worthwhile experience,” Hui said. “Be prepared to center your day around the fact that you’re taking a class in the city.”

Hui’s experience studying in Tokyo and traveling to One Pace Plaza for various courses over his college career opened his eyes to how vast the world is around him. Before his third year in college, Hui was able to say that he had friends in two of the largest cities in the world.

“I definitely liked my time abroad… It made me realize at the end of the day, that it’s a big world out there,” Hui said. “It’s hard to think of the future when you’re only 21; lots to do, lots to see in life.”

Although the future seems distant, Hui hopes to work as an editor at a television studio post-graduation. His study abroad experience had such a positive impact in his life, that he hopes to continue to travel with his career.