Author: Sarah Engel
Interview
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Atlanta native Eboni Goar came to Georgia Tech to study Japanese. As most liberal arts students at Georgia Tech can attest, people often question choosing a STEM-oriented school for such studies. The M.S. program in Global Media & Cultures, however, offers a unique degree in language, culture, and media in just 12 months. Students complete a comprehensive, marketable bilingual portfolio and can take part in top-tier research opportunities. In today’s technology-driven society, programs such as GMC allow students like Eboni to bridge the gap between automation and cultural expression. “My knowledge of Japanese has helped my career aspirations by making me a more well-rounded global citizen. With interdisciplinary studies such as foreign language acquisition, I can make my dream of living and working in Japan come true.”
Eboni cites Japanese culture as the reason for piquing her interest. “I had always been into anime as a child, so when the time came to pick a foreign language, rather than a romance language, I chose to satisfy the child in me and study Japanese.” An average day in Eboni’s life consists of Japanese Pedagogy from 11-12:15 PM, Creative Writing from 12:30-1:45 PM, and then Japanese Translation from 2-3:15 PM. On Wednesday evenings she also runs Japanese conversation practice. Her favorite class thus far has been Japanese Discourse & Grammar. “We were able to watch a Japanese drama which is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time!” She also enjoyed working as a Teaching Assistant in Japanese 2001. “It was a cool experience to come full circle from a student to a teacher.” Her advice to prospective GMC students is as follows: “Be. prepared. to. work. It's only 12 months which is half the time of a normal master's program, so enjoy your summer knowing that you will hit the ground running come August.”
Outside of classes, Eboni enjoys exploring authentic Japanese restaurants and making dishes at home, like Japanese omelet rice. Eboni’s journey has led her all over Georgia to study Japanese—“I have never looked back.”
Learn more about Georgia Tech’s Global Media & Cultures M.S. program.
This story was written by LMC major and CoLab Communications/Editorial Intern, Sarah Engel.
For further inquiries, please contact Senior Academic Professional Jillann Hertel.