A BYU–Hawaii pilot program will launch in Japan this year, with the specific purpose of promoting the university and working with prospective students. Kenichi Kurokawa, a 2005 BYU–Hawaii graduate from Japan who majored in information systems, has been appointed as the first Japan recruiting representative. His job includes running firesides and other efforts in Japan to assist future students registering for BYU–Hawaii, and building the number of prospective students among the youth and young adults of Japan.
Kurokawa called this responsibility an honor. “I certainly want to see more Japanese students come to BYU–Hawaii. I am an alumnus and this school has changed my life. I am a personal witness of it. I hope many others can experience it, too.”
Michael Sudlow, assistant director of admissions at BYU–Hawaii, suggested hiring an alumnus to run a recruiting office in the university’s target area. Japan was selected as the first country. In 2012, Sudlow visited Japan for a fireside and announced this experimental recruiting project. He said, “I was looking for a BYU–Hawaii graduate who was willing to do this as a part-time job. I have known Ken for a long time and his enthusiasm fits this position.”
Kurokawa plans to hold firesides in all 29 stakes in Japan in the near future. “I’m appointed mainly for future BYU–Hawaii students. I am physically in Japan. They can contact me directly via email, phone, or face-to-face meetings after each fireside. I am also a representative of the SMYC (special multi-stake youth conference) in Japan, so I will visit the youth and introduce them to BYU–Hawaii.”
Sharing the same purpose as the recruiting project, the BYU–Hawaii Japanese Student Chapter recently created a website, http://byuhjapan.wix.com/index, to share tips and hints about preparing for and applying to BYU–Hawaii. Airi Tanaka, the current president of the Japan Media Committee and a junior studying university studies, says the site can provide additional insight about BYU–Hawaii to future students in Japan. “The site is very user friendly because it’s made by current students who have first-hand experience,” she says. “And all the information is written in Japanese.”
With photos, videos, and a blog, the site provides tips about the application process and topics regarding student life including scholarships, meal plans, a campus map, Q&A, and more.
Issei Yamashita, a freshman studying elementary education from Japan, said he wished he had access to the recruiting project and website when he applied for BYU–Hawaii. “With these tools my life would [have been] much easier,” said Yamashita. “I’ll certainly tell my friends back home to look up the site and to contact Ken for help.”
To contact Ken, email kenichi.kurokawa@byuh.edu or call (03)3248-2701.
Above: Kenichi Kurokawa, second from the right, with his family.