Freddy Hernandez
Though most of the students enrolled in the Veterinary Technology Program on campus tend to be from the surrounding communities and did not have to travel far to get to school, three of the program’s senior students have come from afar in order to achieve their goals of becoming registered veterinary technicians (RVTs).
Elizabeth White, director of the veterinary technology program, thinks it’s admirable that Megumi Miyasaki, 25, Miyuki Kono, 24 and Yu Kono, 24, all from Japan, traveled such a great distance to attend the Pierce College RVT program.
“I’m flattered by that,” White said about her students, “they could have gone anywhere in the country, in the world really,” she continued.
“But they chose to leave their home and travel thousands of miles to come here,” she finished.
Yu said she chose Pierce College because it was one of the few community colleges in Southern California with a vet-tech program.
All three said they found out about Pierce through the Internet.
When asked what they thought of the professors, “great” and “perfect” were the responses given.
It has not been easy for Miyasaki, Miyuki and Yu since English is their second language, but nevertheless, White thinks they are noteworthy because of their desire to learn.
“The biggest challenge about the RVT program has been the terminology” said Yu.
“When memorizing the terminology, you have to memorize the Japanese name as well as the English name,” she added.
Though at the times they have need of a translator, and on occasion require a little extra time on while taking a test, White said their homework assignments are “phenomenal.”
She further commented that sometimes she’s shocked because they’re command of the English language is better than that of some American students.
“Yu particularly, because I’ve had her for so many years now, that I’ve just seen her language skills grow, her veterinary skills grow….now her lab reports are amazing.”
Prior to the RVT program, the women had little to no experience working with animals. Megumi has had the most, saying that she worked at a petting zoo in Japan tending rabbits, sheep and goats.
Though she, Miyuki and Yu are all from the same country, they are from different regions and did not know each other prior to enrolling at Pierce College.
Miyuki is from Ibaraki. It is the Sister City of Minneapolis and is known as the “City of Roses,” according to the Sister City Association’s Web site.
Miyasaki comes from the city of Shizuoka, it is famous for the green tea it produces and is the Sister City of Omaha.
Yu hails from Nagoya which is home to Nagoya Castle and happens to be the Sister City of Los Angeles. All three cities are on Honshu Island, the largest of Japan’s four main islands.
Miyasaki, Miyuki and Yu are currently in their third semester at Pierce and spend most of their time in the agriculture science building
All three enjoy working with animals, though Miyasaki and Miyuki prefer working with cats and dogs.
Miyuki is wary of reptiles but said she’ll work with them if she has to.
Yu on the other hand, doesn’t care.
“I love all animals,” she said.
Once they’ve completed their training, they will go back to Japan and will pursue a veterinary profession there.
Miyasaki, Miyuki and Yu unanimously agree that students in Japan tend to do the same thing-that is go to graduate school, then get an office job.
They however are striving for something different.
White thinks it’s more than just random that in a class of 45 senior students, three are Japanese; especially because they didn’t know each other beforehand.
The facts that these students from far and away were willing to leave their homes along with everyone they knew behind because of the appeal posed by this campus, “are a testament to not only the RVT program, but to Pierce as a whole.”