The ELI Student Spotlight series is designed to honor students who demonstrates outstanding commitment and enthusiasm in ELI courses. 

Meet Jun Takahashi! Jun was nominated by Kristen Danek for his work in the Summer 2020 English for Business Studies (EBS) program. Danek wrote, "Jun has been an exemplary student in the EBS program, always willing to go that extra mile. He has continuously impressed me with his dedication to improving his English communication skills, his friendly and positive attitude, and his collegiality. His fellow classmates describe him as the "gold standard of our team" and I agree with them 100%."

Name: Jun Takahashi

Hometown: Nagoya, Japan

Degree Program: Full-Time MBA

What inspired you to take a class at the English Language Institute? I took a summer program, "English for Business Studies (EBS)". As I have little experience of working and studying in English-speaking countries, I wanted to improve my English communication skills to prepare for MBA classes. In addition, I wanted to build a network with other incoming MBA students. Thanks to the hard work of the instructors to adapt the program to an online format during the pandemic, the classes were well-organized for students in different timezones.

What have you enjoyed the most about your class? Why? I enjoyed working on assignments with other classmates from different countries and backgrounds. We learned how to build an effective team by tackling various assignments on the same team every week. This experience helps me to get prepared to work with other classmates from different backgrounds in MBA classes. In addition, the on-line team project for the "Business+Impact Challenge" which we did in the last 2-3 weeks of this program will be really helpful because this type of team project will be a "new normal" even after the pandemic.

What do you hope to do after graduating from Michigan? After completing the MBA, I will return to my current company to launch new business in mobility (Tech+Automotive) business field as a corporate entrepreneur.

What advice would you give to other international students at U-M? Take classes at the ELI as soon as you get accepted from the University of Michigan. Build a network with other international students and keep in touch with them outside the classes because this network will definitely support you during your U-M life.