こんにちは、はじめまして！
(Hello, nice to meet you!)

My name is Jasmine Pelaez and I am an passionate global learner, liberal activist, and proud Cuban-American graduating college in the Summer of 2022. Being a Miami native, I was blessed with the opportunity of interacting with a plethora of cultures, all which are greatly distinct from my own. However, it was not until my later adolescent years that I encountered a culture so enthralling that it's main language would serve as the basis of my undergraduate studies at Florida International University.

私の話 (MY STORY)

My lasting interest in all things Japanese began in my freshman year of high school, where I joined a Japanese culture club alongside a new group of friends. From day one, I became immersed in the Japanese culture and expressed profound fondness for the language, picking up as much vocabulary and cultural tidbits as I could from Japanese students participating in the exchange program and various club activities. Eventually, my curiosity had blossomed into an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of Japanese cultures, which lead me to enroll at Florida International University's Japanese Language certificate program. To this day, I am grateful that the pursuit of linguistic/cultural knowledge and global awareness has lead me down this enlightening path and allowed me to gain proficiency in such a fascinating language.

Persistent study in the language, along with Japanese culture and identities, challenged me to question the biases and prejudices I had long held as a result of a fairly conservative upbringing. Within that time frame, my relationship with my own identity and those of others would introduce a newfound passion in social activism and inclusion, which is reflected in my work with various education and inclusion-based organizations at my university. In time, I embraced the knowledge I acquired and ultimately decided I would utilize my knowledge to pursue work involving uplifting and amplifying marginalized voices within our global communities.

未来 (Future)