Finance major and Japanese Studies minor Shumin Gong spent three months in Japan this past summer thanks to William & Mary’s internship program with Canon Corporation. Here’s her report on the experience.
“During the three-month internship period, not only did I gain working experience in a different environment, I also had a great time living and traveling in Japan. In the company, I was given various jobs, including running data and reading reports. Although these assignments were usually not complicated, they sometimes required data processing or Japanese reading skills, which allowed me to apply things I learned at W&M in varies ways. Meanwhile, my supervisor and my colleagues were supportive of me at all times, especially when I had questions regarding my job. Thus, the office environment of my division was not as stressful as I thought. On the contrary, Japanese people’s politeness and their diligence impressed me a great deal. In addition, Canon’s internship program also offered me the opportunity to explore Tokyo. Since the workload was designed for interns, I was able to utilize my time both after work and on weekends. As I spent time with some of my colleagues, I actually developed personal relationships with them out of the office too. In fact, Canon had its once-in-five-years Expo in New York this September, and I was also invited to the event by my internship manager. I consider it a great chance to get a closer look at Canon and I hope I can remain such relationship with my colleagues in the future as well.
“Being able to intern at Canon Corp. makes me feel more confident about my abilities and gives me more hope of getting a job in Japan after graduation. Personally, I would recommend this internship program to students who like Japan or to those who want to get a sense of working in a foreign environment. Again, I am honored to be chosen as Canon’s intern from W&M this year, and I am sure that my experience over the summer will guide me through my last semester at college as it leads me to my future career.”
