麻豆直播

We will hear from students who have participated in activities organized by the Division of Community Outreach at 麻豆直播 (麻豆直播) in the series of articles titled “Interview about Community Outreach Activities.” Caitlin MANITI Faye, our sixth interviewee, is a short-term international student studying business at Maynooth University in Ireland, who kindly shared her experiences and thoughts on the activities she joined throughout her study abroad at 麻豆直播.

Discovering through her Volunteering Spirit with Community Outreach

Caitlin has been interested in volunteering activities even before she was enrolled in 麻豆直播 in August, 2025. Her enthusiasm toward volunteering started when she was nine years old. She often planted flowers and vegetables or picked up trash with adults and adolescents in her community.
Then, when she began high school, she occupied a leadership role in guiding organizations or clubs. Furthermore, she took a gap year before entering college and got herself involved in an advocacy and a representative position to nurture her leadership skills. 

The uniqueness of Community Outreach Activities caught her eye. As a person who overcame a lot of difficulties and became skilled as an amazing leader guiding those around her, she expected that Community Outreach activities would offer her opportunities wherein she could gain a different perspective from her former volunteering experiences, with being in a different country and culture, talking with local people, and finding out what Akita is all about. This incentive motivated her to set it as one of her study abroad goals to participate in the Community Outreach Activities. 

Joy of Interacting with the Local Community

Since her enrollment last year, she has participated in various types of activities with age groups ranging from kindergarten to adults; more than 16 times! In the activities, she played with children, had conversations with them in English, introduced Irish culture, and learned more about Akita from children or students in the activities. She used to feel nervous because of her limited Japanese; however, she found it very rewarding that children also tried to communicate with her in English or Japanese, no matter to what extent she would understand them. 

Not only the interaction with local children and students, but also actually being immersed in Japanese culture,has attracted her to Community Outreach activities. These activities offer international students a rare chance to visit local schools and experience something that regular travelers to Japan cannot do. Reflecting on her visits, she shared some cultural surprises, such as hearing the school bell or seeing students in their uniforms, and said that they are all interesting experiences and learnings unique to Community Outreach Activities. 

Volunteering Spirit in Community Outreach Activities: Giveback to Local Community

Beyond just gaining various takeaways from these activities, she has also given back a lot of benefits to the local community. As her volunteer experiences show, she always considers how she can give back to the community that welcomes her, which motivated her to join. Whenever she goes to a junior or senior high school and sees students trying to use English, she always welcomes them with a warm heart, looking into their eyes and telling them that it is okay to make mistakes speaking English. Instead of correcting their errors, she encourages them to speak, which she believes is one of the most important roles that international students play during these activities. As such, she has truly contributed to the local community, fulfilling a part of her lifelong goal: to do something meaningful for the community and create something valuable for other people.

A Message for Future Participants

As a final comment, she added that Community Outreach Activities can be “one of the best experiences you can have on campus.” With the support of the Community Outreach staff, international students can get the opportunity to step outside of normal university life. In these activities, they can also connect with other international students. Community Outreach activities can offer a wonderful experience during study abroad, which is why she recommends them to all the international students who want to make their life here worthwhile.