Mr Kotaro Orita (completed EU Studies Undergraduate Diploma Programme in Fall 2018)
■Affiliation at time of completion of the programme: Fourth year, School of Economics, Kyushu University
■Career after graduation: Employment with the prefectural government in Kyushu
I learned about the existence of the EU-DPs programme just after entering the university, and I took some EU-DPs courses from the first year. Since I had wanted to learn about the EU and Europe before entering university, I thought that Kyushu University students are fortunate to have such a well-organized education system like this programme. During the four years that I was in university, the situation surrounding Europe changed dramatically, such as Brexit and terrorism in Paris, France. Under this situation, it was a very valuable experience to be able to utilize the programme and learn about the history of the EU and the current social landscapes.
Also, before graduating I was able to study language in Spain for three weeks with funding from the “Short Visit Scholarship” offered by the EU Centre (Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence-Kyushu). I not only learned Spanish, but I also gained firsthand knowledge of the economic and social situation in Spain, and I was able to spend a very meaningful and intense time there. Although I belonged to the School of Economics in Kyushu University, I actively participated in classes in a wide range of fields, such as art and history, in addition to economics. As a result, I became interested in history and art in Spain, and it made my study abroad time even more fulfilling.
From now on, opportunities to interact with people from overseas, such as the Tokyo Olympics and Osaka-Kansai Japan Expo, will increase. With regard to these, I think the EU-DPs programme will provide a good opportunity to be interested in the EU and the world. I would like to make use of the experience gained through the EU-DPs programme and learn more about the EU in the future.