Hello. My name is Fang Zhou and I’m 21. I was born in Guangdong, China but I immigrated to Louisiana, United States of America with my parents when I was five years old. My family speaks Cantonese. Because they were busy, I actually learned English and Mandarin by watching TV. It was through Chinese dramas (Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc) that I learned more about Chinese history and culture. Eventually, I expanded to Japanese anime and Korean dramas and music. This created my interest in East Asian cultures. I wanted to learn languages, eat authentic cuisine, and travel abroad. At Dartmouth College, I was able to learn Japanese and become literate in Chinese. Sadly, due to lack of practice, I have forgotten a lot of what I learned. I studied abroad in Japan and Korea though I, sadly, did not learn Korean. I hope to graduate next June with a double major in Economics and Asian Society Culture and Language.

I am someone who has wanderlust. If I stay somewhere too long, I feel trapped. I don’t think I will ever feel that way about Japan. That’s why I wanted to intern in Japan. I wanted to stay in a country I love while gaining practical experience for my future. Come on Up, in particular, was very alluring to me because it has a startup vibe. I am able to not only exposed to different departments inside a share house company but also be part of a company that promotes education and globalization with the Global English camp.

While I cannot play any instruments (I did try to learn to play the clarinet) or draw, I have a high appreciation of the arts in all its forms. I love to read. If I did have to be practical, I would have majored in art history and film studies. I hope my creativity and interest in interior design would be helpful.

I am very excited to be in Tokyo, to learn, to grow, and to contribute to a company I admire.

Fang Zhou