Bridging Foundation in the News

The Bridging Foundation and Executive Director Tom Mason were recently featured in The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan Journal, highlighing how the Foundation successfully pivoted its activities during the time of Covid-19 when study abroad was on pause due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

“We ran a webinar series called ‘How to find Japan-related careers.’ The purpose of that was to connect students to people who not only have found jobs in Japan, but also Japan-related jobs in the United States,” Mason explained.

Between 200 and 300 undergraduates participated in each seminar, suggesting that interest in Japan had not waned, despite the pandemic and restrictions on international travel.

However, Mason admits that most participants would have preferred in-person events. And industry experts acknowledge that, although remote learning—including interactive webinars and COIL—has expanded, it can neither fully replicate nor totally replace in-person cultural exchange.

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