I decided to proceed to graduate school so I can deepen my understanding of the tourism industry and broaden my knowledge in tourism planning and management.

Q.大学院に、進学しようと思った動機・経緯は?

I decided to proceed to graduate school so I can deepen my understanding of the tourism industry and broaden my knowledge in tourism planning and management. After working in the Philippine government sector for four years, I got interested in how the government of other countries handle tourism. Also, I honestly just missed learning. I missed sitting in class, reading case studies, listening to experts’ insights and learning from their experience.

Q.なぜこの大学院を選んだのか？

The primary factor that made me want to study in Toyo University is its English Course Curriculum for the Tourism Graduate School. I think it is a really generous opportunity for international students such as myself to be able to conduct our graduate school research in English. Although it would be an interesting challenge to do my research in Japanese, I trust that I would be able to learn more and produce a finer study with a language I am more familiar with, which is English.

Q.大学院で学んでみて気づいたこと・発見したことはありますか?

I realized that graduate school is very much different from undergraduate studies. It could also be the difference in the educational system between the Philippines and Japan but when I started attending graduate school, I didn’t have as much classes as I was expecting and the workload in each class is not as heavy as I used to have during college. According to one of my professors, it was so we could focus more on our research and other duties (such as jobs). And I think that is very generous and considerate.

Q.大学院の魅力は?

I think it is the fact that I am surrounded by people from different countries and background. We attend the same class but we have different points of view on the topics being discussed so we get to learn not just from the professor but from one another as well.

Q.大学院生活の中で辛かったことは？

For me, the thesis update presentations we have to do twice per semester are the most nerve-wracking. I always get anxious if my research is progressing enough and pressured as to what I have to present. But fortunately, my adviser is very patient with me and is always available to meet with me whenever I have questions.

Q.論文の研究テーマ・授業の内容は？

My research is focused on the accessibility of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the primary gateway into the Philippines, and the mode choice of locals when going to NAIA. To supplement my study, I took transportation-related classes such as Transport Management and Tourism Development. I also took classes which are personally interesting for me such as Sustainable Tourism and Revenue Management.

Q.将来への展望、今後目指したい姿や将来進みたい道などありましたら、教えてください。

As of the moment, I am purely focusing on finishing my research and obtaining my Master’s Degree. Afterwards, I wish to be able to work at an organization where I can use the knowledge I got from this institution to further improve the quality of tourism in the Philippines.

Q.現在の「ある１週間」または「ある１日」のスケジュールを教えてください。

Q.国際観光学研究科を目指そうとしている方たちへのメッセージなど、ありましたら自由にお書きください。

Tourism is a very complex and interesting industry. This is something that I realized while studying at the Graduate School of International Tourism Management. The graduate school curriculum has a vast offering of tourism classes that are not offered in the undergraduate level. The professors are also all experts in their chosen field and are very knowledgeable and passionate about their lectures, which makes the classes even more interesting. They are very approachable and supportive in class and in your research. If you are really interested in having a career in tourism, I believe the course offerings in the Graduate School of International Tourism Management would be a good choice.

プロフィール

After I got my Bachelor’s Degree on Tourism from the University of the Philippines, I started working for the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) where I was in-charge of promoting the Philippines to the Turkish and Israeli markets. I first came to Japan for a one-year exchange student program in Nagasaki University during my undergrad years and since then, I’ve been visiting Japan at least once a year.

掲載されている内容は2020年3月現在のものです。