Liandro Rodriguez teaches in Japan

Meet Alumnus Liandro Rodriguez

by Rebecca Lewis

Since graduating from Washburn University with a Bachelor’s degree in mass media, concentrating on public relations, alumnus Liandro Rodriguez, 2018, lives his life in Japan as an assistant language teacher.

The love for his career is overpowering, but not as much as the care and adoration he has developed with students.

“I know this sounds cheesy,” said Rodriguez,“but man, they are the best.”

Rodriguez’s time at Washburn gave him the confidence to pursue opportunities that he would not have in the past.

“My first semester at Washburn University was the most difficult,” said Rodriguez, “I had very poor time management. But during that point in my life, I had never taken time to do homework or study.”

For a split second, Rodriguez thought about giving up, believing he wasn’t cut out for school. But the support he received from multiple mass media professors inspired Rodriguez to keep on going and to not give up. Dr. Kristen Grimmer, his advisor in public relations, stated Rodriguez’s love for traveling was a way of discovering his passion in life.

“I loved being his adviser in mass media because he and I both chose to study abroad in Japan when we were students,” said Grimmer. “After he completed his study abroad experience, we talked about all the cool things he got to do and learn. He presented to my class about his trip and talked about how traveling helped him expand his career goals. All of his classmates enjoyed working with him and I could not be any more proud of all that he’s accomplished since he graduated.”

A year after his graduation, Rodriguez moved back home to be in the comfort of his own home with family.

Two months later, Rodriguez applied for multiple jobs, again without luck. He settled for a manual labor job.

photos courtesy of Liandro Rodriguez English Instructor, Liandro Rodriguez, discusses challenges teaching abroad in Japan.

While I was working this job, I did some freelance work around town,” said Rodriguez. “Eventually, some months later, I was able to land a job at the local community college, [working] as an admissions representative.”

Rodriguez’s idea to become a language teacher began when he visited Japan in 2017 through Washburn’s study abroad program. The two-week trip, put together by Sangyoub Park, professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Washburn, triggered Rodriguez’s longing for the country.

“A friend who I met on that trip later told me he was applying to teach in Japan through a program called the JET program,” said Rodriguez. “That stayed in the back of my head until I decided to pull the trigger in 2018 and apply.”

Rodriguez’s biggest challenge as a teacher in Japan was his inability to speak Japanese fluently, especially when trying to teach English. It was a daily challenge for Rodriguez, one that he continued to improve.

Rodriguez explained his most challenging instances are when he takes charge of a lesson or project in a different language.

“Of course, the Japanese teacher can jump in and translate, but we try to avoid that and have the students understand in English,” said Rodriguez.

His role as an assistant teacher involves teaching, helping students prepare for interview tests, writing tests, and college entrance exams. “Since I can’t speak Japanese too well, this has really helped me break that language barrier and gotten me closer with them,” said Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s love for his career grows along with his love for Japan. He lives on a small island with less than 2,000 people, and he said that he is the only foreigner. “Some days, I take an eighthour boat ride to get to Tokyo, Japan,” said Rodriguez. “I can’t speak Japanese very well, so every interaction has to have real effort put in. Other than that, it is super relaxing.” Besides living a couple minutes away from a “beautiful, clear blue beach,” it takes Rodriguez less than an hour to get from one side of the small island to the other. “Because it’s such a small community, everybody is very nice and laid back. It really is a special atmosphere,” said Rodriguez. “I love it here.”