Ishimori came to IC from a small town and said she had very little insight into the world outside of central Illinois before her Illinois College experience. She recalls how her liberal arts education allowed her to explore subjects outside of her comfort zone, like foreign language, which she initially saw little value in as she envisioned a future contained within her rural community.

Through her involvement on campus, writing for The Rambler and Forté, participating in a Christian fellowship group, working on a lecture committee and traveling with a group to Mexico over winter break, Ishimori gained the confidence to evolve from an “observer” to a “joiner.”

Ishimori was introduced to her future husband at Illinois College; he was part of the second group of exchange students from Ritsumeikan University to live and study at IC. Interacting with exchange students on campus was part of what later inspired Ishimori to pursue educational opportunities abroad.

In 1989, shortly after graduation, Ishimori joined the first IC student group to make the trip to Japan, led by Koepp. She says that experience was a great introduction to Japanese language studies. Two months later, she returned to Japan through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program to work as an assistant English teacher. Ishimori said that IC prepared her to live abroad through its culture of non-judgemental openness, fostered by the College’s small class sizes with room for discussion and debate.

Ishimori wonders what her life would have been like without the encouragement and guidance she found at IC, leading her to pursue Japanese studies and the JET program, allowing her to explore a new language, culture, perspective and lifestyle.

It was also during her time in the JET program that Ishimori reconnected with and began dating her future husband, adding to the list of ways her involvement in the program shaped her life. Over the years she has taught in private language schools in Japan, given private English lessons and acted as an interpreter for Japanese residents living in the U.S. The couple has two children and have lived in Osaka, the San Francisco Bay area and Chicago. They currently reside in South Carolina.

“The experiences I've had because of IC have gradually led me to new language and cultural fluency. These are, of course, marketable skills, but they've also made my life happier and richer,” she said. “I know that the IC-RU exchange has been a terrific experience for many students, but when I look at my family, I can't help but think that I've gotten more from it than anyone else.”