Audrey Harrigan credits sweets with piquing a near-lifelong fascination with Japan.
“Japan just had the coolest candy,” said Harrigan, describing the childhood interest that became her introduction to the island in the Pacific Ocean. “My interest started with the food, and then I found out that the language was just so beautiful.”
Audrey Harrigan, an Asian studies sophomore, is immersing herself in the Japanese communities of Ohio ahead of a year abroad in Tokyo through UToledo’s First Year Summer Research Experience.
For Harrigan, of Whitehouse, that interest has only grown in the ensuing years. It led her to sign up for her first Japanese language course at The University of Toledo even before she graduated from Maumee High School in 2023, and to continue her education with UToledo’s Asian Studies Program. Most excitingly to Harrigan, who is now sophomore in the Jesup Scott Honors College, it’s led her to begin packing her bags for a year abroad through an exchange program between UToledo and Rikkyo University.
“I’m counting down the days until I leave in September,” she said. “I’m so excited.”
Before Harrigan hops on a plane, though, she’ll spend the summer immersing herself in the Japanese communities of Ohio through UToledo’s First Year Summer Research Experience.
Harrigan is one of 15 students who are currently participating in the program through the Office of Undergraduate Research, which funds students to pursue research and creative projects during the summer following their first year on campus. Harrigan is working with her faculty mentor, Dr. An Chung Cheng, director of the Asian Studies Program and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, to investigate weekend heritage schools in Ohio that teach Japanese language and culture to those who seek a connection to Japan.
Harrigan plans to visit several this summer, including two in Columbus and Toledo.
“It’s really interesting how they preserve the school values and traditions,” Harrigan said, noting that some recruit principals and teachers from Japan. “What’s awesome about it is they serve the parents and the staff, too. They really bring these communities together.”
Several heritage schools gather students each weekend in schools and community centers across Ohio, especially around cities that have attracted a significant number of immigrant families. Japan-based Honda Motor Co.’s manufacturing presence around Columbus, for example, has contributed to a notable expatriate community that supports the Columbus Japanese Language School that meets weekly at an intermediate school in Marysville.
Mariko Johnston, a part-time lecturer at UToledo, runs the heritage school in Toledo.
Harrigan has begun to sift through the academic research already published on these types of schools and is looking forward to contributing to this limited body of scholarship. Cheng, who encouraged her to take on the project through the First Year Summer Research Experience, said she believes her research has the potential to evolve into a broader investigation documenting the current landscapes of Japanese heritage language education in the United States.
Chessica Oetjens is program coordinator in the Office of Undergraduate Research, which also coordinates the Undergraduate Summer Research and Creative Activities Program, a similar program that is not restricted to first-year students.
Oetjens said this is largest cohort in years for First Year Summer Research Experience.
“We owe a lot to our incredible faculty for making it possible,” she said. “We’re excited to track the success of these undergraduate researchers in the coming years.”
Harrigan caught the attention of her faculty mentor when she enrolled in her first language at UToledo in 2021 through Ohio’s College Credit Plus program, which allows students to begin taking college courses while still in high school.
“Her passion for Japanese language and culture, as well as broader Asian cultures, was unmistakable,” Cheng said. “Despite being a high school student then, Audrey’s enthusiasm and dedication were evident, setting her apart from her peers.”
Harrigan’s College Credit Plus experience was so positive that she enthusiastically opted to continue her studies toward an Asian studies degree with a minor in Japanese after her graduation from Maumee High School. She has her sights set on a teaching career, with aspirations to teach English in Japan before pursuing a master’s degree in Asian studies and teaching in the field at the collegiate level, and she’s looking forward to advancing this goal during fall and spring semesters in Tokyo.
Mie Kina, a part-time instructor in Japanese who has taught Harrigan in 2022 and 2024, said she’s confident that she will.
“From the beginning, Audrey has shown a strong interest in the Japanese language and culture and has been a dedicated student who comes to each class well prepared,” Kina said. “Her studies at the renown Rikkyo University will be a great asset for her future.”
