RCCD Students Head to Tokyo for Work and Study

Nearly 40 local community college students are heading to Japan next month to gain international experience while earning college credit.

The Riverside Community College District is sending 39 students to Tokyo from June 17 to Aug. 3 as part of a six-week education abroad program that pairs academic coursework with professional internship placements inside Japanese companies.

“I am so excited to see what our students will accomplish both academically and professionally through this international experience. Students will have the opportunity to work within Japanese companies while also earning credit for the coursework they complete,” said Tanya Brown, a Moreno Valley College associate professor in the Health Science and Kinesiology Department.

Brown is teaching Kinesiology 4: Nutrition as the academic component of the program.

Securing the international placements required months of preparation. During the winter term, students completed a noncredit professional development course, "The Successful Job Search" (PDS-818), to prepare for a structured interview process. A mentor based in Japan reviewed student resumes and conducted practice interviews, providing direct professional feedback before placements were finalized.

Students also completed four required orientation sessions covering all facets of traveling and working abroad. The cohort first came together in January during a cultural field trip to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, which included a tour of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

The program is coordinated by Jeff Rhyne, who has spent the past year working with his team to build the internship partnerships that made the Tokyo placements possible.