Global English Camp Testimonials

2024

Participating in this program has helped me gain confidence in pursuing my dreams. The students, leaders, and coaches have all inspired me in so many ways. The most valuable thing I gained from this program was the opportunity to experience a new country, culture, and language, as well as meeting so many different people from around the world.

Shania, Graduate, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

From the amazing messages and gifts I got at the end of each week to hearing the Life Mission presentations from each of my students, I felt an incredible fulfilment in myself that I had contributed to the lives of several people and that I'd made their relationship with English an amazing thing in their lives.

Tom, Junior, University of Oxford

I have spent the last few years in a heavily academic setting. This program taught me again that students are everything and the best part of an academic job is teaching, not researching. Connections with people is what truly matters.

Angel, PhD Student, University of Pennsylvania

2023

I think I learned a lot about myself and who I am as a person. This was my first time out of the US, and I was traveling alone. I enjoyed taking the time to just explore my surroundings, meet new people, tried to use my Japanese, and was pretty confident in my teaching. These are things I usually don't try to do back at home or in college. This made me realize there are things I can do to change parts of my life to make it more enjoyable for me back at home where I'm not afraid of taking initiative and trying something/ meeting someone new. It also made me want to travel more because there are so many interesting places and cultures in the world just like Japan!

Carla, Senior, Duke University

This program definitely solidified my passion for educational equity and my interest in working within non-traditional spaces for education like Global English Camp to increase access beyond the classroom.

Megan, Graduate, Columbia University

The students are always the most amazing part of the program and the reason why I have returned. It is so incredible to see them grow in their English language speaking confidence and open up!! This year being in-person was also really great because I felt I could actually bond with my team and I feel happy to have made so many great friends. I can not iterate enough how fortunate I feel to have had such great leaders and teammates!

Victoria, Junior, Yale University

2019

This summer at Global English Camp I learned some valuable life lessons that I will carry with me no matter what job I have in future. As I continue to improve as a person, I can look back and say, ‘I feel like I made an impact on someone’s life.’ These students I would mentor every day were all unique and amazing in their own manner. I enjoyed getting to know them and through the textbook activities planned for each day, I watched them hone their English skills. Whether it was reading, speaking, writing—or simply just having the confidence to participate in an activity—they gave it their all. Also, the team of interns I worked with were are positive and supportive to one another, it was a safe space to learn and grow! Thank you for the amazing opportunity.

Gillian, Senior, University of Toronto

I developed strong relationships with colleagues from diverse backgrounds across countries, where we created unforgettable memories in Japan together. Global English Camp also helped me build my skills on leadership and communication that were helpful for my background in education!

Lynda, Graduate, University of Pennsylvania

This past summer interning at Global English Camp was an incredibly transformative and humbling experience. It was definitely the most fulfilling experience of my life and I left Japan having learned so much about myself, having made a positive impact on the lives of my Japanese students, and having made lifelong friends.

Patrick, Senior, UC Berkeley

2018

"The Come On Out Japan experience was priceless to me. The main benefits came down to three elements. First, feeling incredibly grateful and proud to work with very respectful and sweet Japanese students was a gift in itself. Second, visiting the wonders of Japan, it is just impossible not to be in awe with all the beauty and culture this country has to offer. Finally, meeting intelligent, creative and well-rounded fellow interns from all over the United States, Canada and the UK, many of whom I hope to call lifelong friends made this summer unforgettable. Yes, traveling to Japan from North America was very long and painful. Yes, the internship is unpaid. Yes, I realized I could sweat from body parts I have never sweat from before during rush hour in the Tokyo subway. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely.”

Catherine, University of Toronto

I did not have a clear life mission coming into the program, but now I am certain with the life mission I came up with during the program. Looking at the life mission presentations and of interns and students was very motivational and made me think about myself in a deeper level.

I just can’t emphasize enough how much this program influenced me and how much I enjoyed it. I met amazing people from all around the world, including students from Japan. It was genuinely the best summer I had in my life, and I would 100% recommend this program to my peers and myself to do it over the summer if possible.

Jeff, Senior, Duke University

It was my first time traveling to a different country with an unfamiliar culture. It was honestly intimidating at first, but my experiences in Japan through this program have certainly made changes in my life mission to open the possibility of living and exploring abroad.

Bryan, Senior, UC Berkeley

Although I put my life mission as becoming an international teacher, there were times when I doubted myself and this path as an educator that I wanted to take. But thanks to the wonderful experience Come On Out and Toshin has provided me, I feel more motivated to teach and more confident in the path I want to take.

Justin, Sophomore, Cornell

It gave me the experience to work with such great kids; teaching didn’t seem like a job but more of something fun I did in the week. It made me want to explore teaching even more.

Genesis, Junior, UC Berkeley

2017

This was one of the best summers I have ever had. Being able to experience the variety of working in central Tokyo, to a high school in the Yokohama suburbs, to the islands of Okinawa with my homestay, was phenomenal. I have never been on a trip to one country and seen such variation in such a short time. 

Justin, Senior, London School of Economics

Before the program, I didn't really have prospects as to what I wanted to do in the future. Now, although I don't have a defined path, I am happy to say that the program made me begin to think about the future; the part that changed is that now I don't look at the future with any anxiety, but rather a determination that I will be able to make it work.

Daniel, Freshman, Harvard

This experience changed my life mission because I not only met passionate students in the classroom but also worked alongside very impressive peers from a diverse array of backgrounds all hoping to contribute to the world in a different way. 

Danait, Senior, Johns Hopkins

I didn't think that I could make a difference in 5 days, but I always felt that the students were so grateful in the end. My students taught me just as much as I taught them! It was heartwarming being able to talk about their dreams and life missions with them.

Melissa, Senior, UC Berkeley

A new perspective on many things. From school uniforms to social customs. I also learned that I want to teach in the future because of how much fun I had with the kids. Finally, I met SO many new friends. Interns, staff, and even students. Japan ended up feeling like a second home because of how inviting everybody was.

Jakob, Junior, University of Michigan

Ever since I've been back in the US, in my old job, I haven't felt the same. I think it's become clear that Japan is truly a second home for me - somewhere I love enough that I just enrolled in an upcoming semester of online Japanese Level I classes.  

Sean, Graduate, Harvard

2016

I got a taste of what being a language teacher is like and learned to be a more effective English teacher and mentor.  I felt that, through our conversations, we shared our cultures equally and deeply, and this was a very rewarding experience.

Hana, Junior, Princeton

It was very meaningful. I learned how to "teach" languages particularly, and I learned better how to work well in a group. I got an inside feel for what it's like to teach your native tongue to non-native speakers and I got to enrich the lives of younger students who similarly enriched me.

Jordan, Senior, Michigan

It was a wonderful experience for me. I learned the joys and challenges of teaching -- the former outweighed the latter for me -- and I also learned a lot about myself and Japan. I'm looking forward to being involved in education in the future, hopefully at least a little in Japan as well. Thanks for this opportunity!

Paul, Graduate, Duke

I had the opportunity to learn more than I could have imagined about Japan and Japanese culture. I truly had what I would consider the greatest 6 weeks of my life during the course of this program. Everyone I had the opportunity to work with was incredible, and I also had some incredible experiences with people I met who were not a part of the program.

Frederick, Sophomore, University of Pennsylvania  

I think I realized my life mission is to teach. Prior to this experience, I knew I liked education and teaching, but I think this was a really defining point in my life. It was such a defining point in my life that while I waited for my plane to leave from Tokyo back to Los Angeles, I began to write my personal statement for a Masters Program to get my teaching credential! Can't wait to see what is to come.

Melina, Junior, UCLA

2015

Originally, I thought this would just be an English teaching job, but the close interaction with students every week, all the staff and the curriculum itself made it completely different.  Every day was interactive and fun.  I may have been the teacher but on this trip I felt like I was the student simply because I learned so much from all those around me.

Aimee, Senior, UCLA

 From the beginning this program has changed--even helped me create---my life mission.

Mindy, Freshman, University of Pennsylvania

The students I taught were very respectful, highly intelligent and determined.  As they spoke about their life missions on the last day of the camp, I was reminded of mine and was given great determination just by listening to their speeches.

Sarah, Sophomore, Columbia

It was wonderful to have such wonderful students...most students seemed fairly motivated and interested.  It was also a good opportunity for me to think about, and observe, the effects of the Japanese school system on teenagers' mindsets, habits, abilities and challenges"

Molly, Grad Student, Harvard

I learned a lot about teaching English and what it means to be a teacher and a facilitator for learning.  Most importantly, I learned that every person learns English differently and that language barriers don't necessarily bar one from creating a meaningful relationship with another person, as clearly seen in each week's closing ceremony.

Cole, Graduate, Yale