Japan Society of Boston Meets Bianca Sanchez Alvarez (Hiroshima, 2016-2018)
In partnership with Japan Society of Boston, USJETAA is proud to share the JSB Meets JET Alumni interview series which explores the JET experience across Japan.
In April of 2025, Japan Society of Boston got to know Bianca Sanchez Alvarez (Hiroshima, 2016-2018).
What sparked your interest in applying for the JET program?
My inspiration was my great-grandfather, Casimiro Ortiz. It's rumored in my family that, as a young boy, he fled Japan in fear of being exiled to the island of Oshima, a former leper colony. He set sail to Mexico and landed in the port town of Guaymas. He found work and made a humble living mining silver and building railroads. He settled down to marry and grew chiles in his garden. I don’t know how much of this is true. But learning that I have Japanese ancestry catapulted me on a journey to learn more about my long-lost heritage. I wanted to see Japan for myself, and understand the land my great-grandfather fled long ago. I studied Japanese in high school and college where I learned about the JET Program. The rest is history.
