This Study Abroad Student’s Journey Took Off at Queensborough and Landed in the Dreams of his Future
“Japan has always fascinated me,” said Queensborough student Michael Edwards, a second year Business Administration major. “The history, the culture, and the natural beauty of the country’s many islands and regions. It’s why I was driven to pursue a Study Abroad program so that I could immerse myself in the everyday life of the Japanese people.”
Michael’s journey began when he decided to enroll at Queensborough in the fall of 2024 to major in a fully online, asynchronous degree program in Business Administration. “It was a big draw for me because I do my best when I can study at my own pace, plus I’ve always been interested in the field in general, and I often keep up with industry news relating to some of my favorite companies.”
Then his journey took off his first semester when he joined the Accelerated Study in Associate Program (ASAP). “It’s an amazing pathway to academic success and offers all kinds of student support in the way of personalized advisement, stipends for textbooks, free OMNI Cards, and more.” And it was through ASAP’s academic advisor and career specialist that Michael learned about Global CUNY. Michael applied and was accepted to College of Staten Island’s (CSI) Exchange Program at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in the city of Beppu, Japan, where he took bi-lingual courses in Foundation Japanese II, Business Law, Western Visual Arts and Intercultural Communications, among other courses, from October 2025 to early February 2026.
“Thanks to this life-changing, multicultural experience, I want to work and live in Japan,” said Michael who will graduate from Queensborough this summer. “To realize my goal, I must have a bachelor's degree to obtain a visa. I plan to apply to Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business, International Business program, which requires both a study abroad and ‘achieving language fluency’ by graduation. Baruch also has an exchange agreement with Waseda University, which is considered an elite school within Japan. I hope to make serious progress towards a future career while I'm there.”
“Of course, it all started at QCC,” said Michael.
“Not only was I able to pursue the major of my choice in a program that was best suited to my schedule and learning style, ASAP continuously opened doors to amazing opportunites, like my internship through the CUNY Cultural Corps, which paves the way for students to have paid work experience in the arts and cultural sectors. I worked as a Production Manager at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre in the spring of 2025 where I learned critical arts management skills translatable to industries specific to to the media industry in Japan like gaming, concerts, and anime.”
僕を助けてくれたQCCの皆さん、本当にありがとうございました。
Boku wo tasukete kureta QCC no minasan, hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita.
"To everyone at QCC who helped me, thank you very much."
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