Pacers Head to Country that Gave the World Sushi, Karaoke, Anime

Aiken, SC (07/19/2019) — This summer, three University of South Carolina Aiken students are grabbing their passports and packing their bags, leaving the landlocked mecca of winter colonists for one of the busiest ports in the world.

Through an unexpected exchange opportunity, the Pacers will spend part of their summer break at Yokohama City University in Japan where they will participate in the university's 2019 Service Business for Social Innovation Summer Program. This prospect of studying abroad cropped up after Liz Dille, director of international programs at USC Aiken, formed a relationship with her counterparts at YCU during a recent conference. The fortuitous meeting resulted in an invitation for Pacers to join the summer program in Japan.

"YCU began incorporating global education ahead of other universities in [2005], but going forward I hope to boost development of the university's distinctive attributes. I am certain that YCU's presence will grow by further reinforcing, and sharing with as many people as possible, our initiatives that leverage the characteristics unique to YCU," said the university's president, Yoshinobu Kubota, in a web-based letter.

Those selected to participate in the summer seminar include:

• Jeremy Dumont, a senior majoring in business administration
• Chastity Abney, a senior majoring in political science
• Joseph Patrick Hill, a graduate student majoring in business administration

"This is an incredible opportunity for these students," Dille said. "YCU will waive tuition and accommodation fees for them to participate in this program."

The Japan-bound Pacers just need to purchase their own plane tickets and meals during the trip.

YCU's Service Business for Social Innovation program highlights the relationship between the service industry and social innovation. Participants will gain insight into "developing a business model for contributing to the development of a service-oriented society," according to course materials.

The university is located in Yokohama, Japan, an international trading port which is the considered the "first harbor city introduced to the world as the entrance to Japan" in 1859, according to the city's official website. Yokohama is located just 30 minutes south of Tokyo and ranks as the second largest city in the country where sushi first originated - the capital city being the biggest.

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