Community and JET: The Heart of the Program
Madi Langworthy (Nagasaki, 2024-present)
Interviewed by Marco Blasco (Aomori, 2021-2024)
If there is one constant within the JET experience, it is the feeling of community. No matter where JETs are placed throughout Japan, if asked about their favorite aspects of the program, you’ll often hear this. But even within the JET Program, community can have many different meanings. Community can be a JET’s placement or small town. It can be their school and the teachers they work with. And, it can be the other JETs in their area. When the JET community enhances the local community, the program is at its best.
For Madi Langworthy, the feeling of community, both past and present, is strong.
Originally from North Carolina, Langworthy has experience studying abroad in Japan and learning Japanese during her college years. When Langworthy came to Japan on JET, she was placed in a small town in Nagasaki. The countryside was much different than her experience during her time studying abroad in Nagoya–Japan’s fourth largest city. And while she had some reservations about driving constantly or being isolated, when asked about the most impactful part of her JET experience, she said that it was the relationships she made with the other JETs on the program. She made many lifelong friends with the JETs placed in her small town.
Langworthy’s predecessor helped to create this strong sense of community. She helped Langworthy settle into her new life, and in addition, Langworthy was able to continue a unique letter and omiyage exchange program that her predecessor helped start at their junior high school.
A student exchange box that’s reached its final destination in Nagasaki.
Langworthy and her predecessor are recipients of a microgrant through USJETAA’s Microgrants for Current JETs program, which awards US JETs with a small grant to fund projects in their local communities. It is an amazing way that JETs can make an impact in the local community both inside and outside of the classroom beyond what is normally possible.
Langworthy’s predecessor connected their junior high school with her uncle’s school in Oregon. Even after her predecessor left JET, Langworthy used this connection to continue the exchange program. Though it is only her first year on JET, she received the microgrant and followed the lead of her predecessor. Each year, she has her students write and receive letters with the junior high school students in Oregon. They write the letters together during English class and send them along with small trinkets such as Japanese coins or candy. Langworthy taught her students how letters are written in English and helped them craft heartfelt messages to the students on the other side of the world.
Books sent to Nagasaki from students in Oregon. These books will eventually find their home in the school library where all students can explore and enjoy them.
Through this exchange, Langworthy continues to give her students a rich and purposeful experience. When writing the letters, she found that even the students who rarely participated in English class were engaged and excited. They wanted to know more about their peers in the United States. They asked how to pronounce their names, or if they would understand certain aspects of Japanese culture. She said the students were constantly looking up how to spell certain words or asking how to translate certain things. They were engaged and using English in a way that felt natural and interesting to them. Ultimately, it was through the connections of the JET Program that Langworthy was able to bring this experience to the classroom and facilitate a true cross-cultural moment for her students. Beyond textbook studying, activities such as this are natural teaching moments, and Langworthy hopes that the students will retain some of what they’ve learned through the letter writing. While Langworthy was quick to give her predecessor most of the credit, this experience would have not continued without the close connections between JETs and Langworthy’s desire to give back to her student community.
Having arrived in Japan in late summer 2024, Langworthy recently decided to recontract for one more year of the JET Program. She said that her goal this year is to memorize all of her students' names. When asked about her plans after the JET Program, Langworthy said she might want to do the EPIK Program, which is an English teaching program in Korea. After that, she is considering using her Japanese language skills to try her hand at voice acting or voice acting translation.
Wherever she goes after JET, Langworthy has made a difference in the lives of her students and her community through her efforts. In the moment, it can be difficult to see or understand the impact that simple actions can have on students’ lives. However, supported by the larger JET community, Langworthy was able to bring her students a real experience that I believe they will remember for a long time. She spoke about how excited the students were to share their own culture and to learn about the students in the United States. That is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, and, like Langworthy, share it with others in the future.
About Madi Langworthy (Nagasaki, 2024-present)
Madi Langworthy is a recent graduate from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, where she majored in Japanese. After studying abroad at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan, she developed a deep appreciation for cross-cultural exchange and communication. During college, Madi worked with both international and domestic students through her school’s international organization, fostering collaboration and understanding among diverse groups. Her international experience and passion for Japan led her to the JET Program. Madi is a current JET Program participant living in Nagasaki prefecture and has been working as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) since 2024.
The Senpai Spotlight series is brought to you through partnership between USJETAA and AJET’s CONNECT Magazine. The series features JET alumni from the US who have made successful careers for themselves in various fields—with the goal of inspiring young JETs and JET alumni to pursue their own dreams while also offering some words of advice only a senpai could know.
If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured as a Senpai Spotlight, please reach out to us at contact@usjetaa.org.
This edition of Senpai Spotlight was written by Marco Blasco, a writer and editor based in snowy northern Japan. Originally from America, his interest in Japanese culture and religion brought him to Japan through the JET Program in 2021, where he has made a second home for himself. You can find more of his fiction writing and cultural commentary about life in Japan on his website www.marcoblasco.com.
