St. John's, St. Ben's graduates find international horizons

Published by the St. Cloud Times on Sept. 6th, 2005

By Tracey Compton (tcompton@stcloudtimes.com)

A number of recent graduates of the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University have found the back door to business and culture in Asia.

This year 27 graduates from the two colleges will teach English in China and Japan.

Both colleges, widely recognized for their emphasis on international studies, organized a clearinghouse four years ago around a growing number of students with an interest in teaching English in Asia.

For some, it is an experiment and welcome opportunity to escape Minnesota. For other graduates, the exposure has changed their careers.

St. John's graduate Tom Kain, 22, of St. Cloud, will teach at Shogaku High School in Okinawa, Japan, this year. This will be his third trip to Japan in what initially was motivated by a need to expand his horizons beyond Minnesota.

"I just wanted to get out and do something completely different," said Kain, who is a history major. "I'm not motivated by how good it would look on my resume."

Although his pursuit sounds casual, Kain's academic career at St. John's was bent toward an international perspective.

With a minor in Asian studies, he also studied Japanese for three years and worked in summer English As a Second Language programs.

After his first trip abroad, it was the cultural interplay of traditional Japanese customs and Western influences that drew him back for more, Kain said.

After teaching English in Okinawa, Kain said he might go to graduate school in Asian studies.

Professor David Bennetts, who is a co-director for the Asian Studies Learning Community, said Kain's outlook is typical of many students who've passed through the Teaching in Asia Program.

The program acts as a funnel matching the right students with the right colleges in Asia. When it started there were just 10 participants.

"Some go into ESL education when they come back. Some want to come back and go to grad school or look for a business opportunity in Asia or some aren't sure, but it sounds like a worthwhile opportunity," Bennetts said.

Some graduates that go to Asia speak the language of their host country, but the teaching programs do not require language skills. They want instructors to teach conversational English to students who have been studying the language but haven't been exposed to English speakers in dialogue situations, he said.

"The 21st century has been referred to as the Asian Century because of the growth in the Asian economy," said Bennetts, who is also a professor of history. "The interest in students has grown and the demand in Asia for English teachers has grown."

Useful skills

"Whatever line of work or career you choose, the likelihood that you'll do business with Asia or in Asia is huge," Bennetts said.

It is a reality President Al Kremers of Sartell-based DeZurik Water Controls knows well. The valves and accessories manufacturer conducts business throughout the world, including in China and Japan.

In addition to business industry knowledge, the next best asset for recent graduates is world knowledge and languages, Kremers said.

"If I was advising someone going into a business major, I would certainly recommend that they be trained in a world language," said Kremers. "We are becoming a global economy even in little Sartell."

Exposure Pays Off

Several St. John's graduates have found careers in Asia or with an international focus as a result of their teaching experience.

Recent graduates have found work at Medtronic in Tokyo and the Maryknoll Religious Order in Hong Kong.

While he was pursuing his graduate degree Daman Terhaar, 27, of Sauk Centre, found a job with Wells Fargo Bank in Minneapolis supporting their international services.

The 2000 St. John's graduate said that his experiences in China teaching English and observing the culture prepared him to deal with international clients in his job.

"Just having a global sense, not expecting people to communicate on my level, knowing that people communicate differently — living abroad gives you that sense," he said.

He was struck by the similarities not the differences when he first went to China, Terhaar said. Going to visit a native friend who lived in a small fishing village was not unlike going to his family's house.

The connection and dynamics he observed made Terhaar feel like he was at his parent's house in Minnesota.

It was harder to get an insider's perspective on communism, he said. As a foreign teacher, he felt he was held apart from society as important figures are and so was often presented with the good, nationalistic images of China.

Terhaar went there thinking he'd give his students a radical Western-style class, different from the testing and memorization he heard was common, but breaking out of the mold was harder than he thought despite the subject matter.

 "I had to adjust more to them than they ever had to me." he said.

 Terhaar now has a master's degree in international business. He is headed to Japan to teach English with his wife, Kiyoko Asano Terhaar, a graduate of St. Ben's. He hopes to eventually look for work there after his teaching stint.