Introducing the 2023 Fellows to Japan

This year, we welcome three fellows to JF Oberlin University: Zack, Risa, and Leo will teach and tutor in the as part of the English Language teaching faculty in Machida, Tokyo prefecture, Japan. 

Risa Beddie (she/they) ’23 is a double degree student who majored in Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Voice. Risa grew up in Tokyo and Shanghai and moved to the United States to study music, only to find herself fascinated by chemistry. She was awarded the Virginia M. Baker Scholarship in Chemistry while conducting research in the Oertel laboratory investigating the structure of alizarin lake pigments and growing alum crystals. While at Oberlin, Risa has worked as a Peer Tutor in music theory, a Teaching Assistant, and Stockroom Assistant in the Chemistry department. She has also led such ensembles as the Cats in the Hats, Risa’s Pieces, and the Anonymous Ensemble, who have played at the Cat in the Cream, Wilder Porch, and outside Ben Franklin’s. Over the summer of 2021, Risa taught private voice lessons to young girls at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, through a virtual teaching winter term project. That summer, she also met members of the Japanese rock band Okamotos and sang background vocals on their 2021 album, “Knowhere”.

Leo Hidy (he/him) '23 majored in American Studies and minored in Economics with a concentration in Sustainable Business. While at Oberlin, Leo was privileged to work alongside a diverse array of Oberlin students in various cross-functional roles. His work as a Student Finance Co-Chair, Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct (PRSM) trainer, Resident Assistant in Asia House, and Barefoot Dialogue Facilitator motivated his interest in peer education and community development. Outside of the classroom, Leo is an avid cook and enjoys learning about community-oriented foodways. While in Machida, Leo is excited to learn about international cuisines, Japanese food philosophies, and urban space-making. Leo is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to further his teaching pedagogies through the Shansi Fellowship.

Zachary Mayer-Bickel ‘21 earned degrees in East Asian Studies and History. At Oberlin his course work focused on international relations between Japan and the US from both historic and contemporary perspectives. Zack has studied Japanese since middle school and in 2015, he lived with a family in Tokyo for five weeks and attended Japanese high school. In 2020, Zack studied Japanese Language, translation, and economics with the Associated Kyoto Program in Kyoto Japan. Since graduation, Zack’s interests have only broadened. He has embarked on a number of projects including teaching English online at Shanxi Agricultural University in China, working at a local independent bookstore, writing a novel, studying guitar, and collaborating with other Oberlin students to design a tabletop roleplaying game. In 2021 he volunteered at the Museum of Boulder, CO where helped with day to day operations as well as special events to provide relief for victims of the 2021 Marshall fire.  Zack is looking forward to combining his passion for teaching, ongoing study of the Japanese language, and variety of other interests as a Shansi Fellow.