It’s always been difficult to predict what Jomo Mulholland will be doing and where he’ll be. He’s often been willing to take on new challenges around the world. Despite Jomo’s success in the private and public sectors, working in fields such as hospitality, tourism, translation, and overseeing multi-million dollar real estate investments, he finds himself coming back full circle to Japan.

As a teenager, Markesia Square started to become deeply enamored with a certain form of pop culture. “In high school, when I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my future, I started to think about what gave me joy,” Square said.

Shanti Shoji calls three places home: Oregon, Japan, and Washington, D.C. Her journey to JET, which led to a successful career in US-Japan relations, was not what she expected. Shanti's commitment to exploring her passions, along with her mother’s invaluable influence on her, was her north star.

Be it for one year or five years, it takes a certain type of person to pack up their entire lives and move to a completely foreign country. Yet year after year, countless JETs do it. I think this level of courage and risk-taking is a huge reason why many JETs end up in leadership positions, both in Japan and their home countries, when their tenure on JET is finished. Kyle Schlachter is no exception to this.

Sydney Michael’s journey from Wisconsin to the JET Program was anything but straightforward. Connecting the dots of her early experiences with origami, anime, and a unique opportunity to learn Japanese in high school would take her on an incredible journey.

Greg Beck’s first time trying a certain alcoholic beverage wasn’t anything to write home about. But one event devoted to that indelible part of Japanese culture turned out to be a memorable occasion that helped change his life — the Saijō Sake Festival in Hiroshima Prefecture.

If you don't believe in destiny, then you should join the JET Program.

Through my years on JET and in my alumni life after, I have heard countless stories of chance meetings, coincidental connections, and life changing opportunities. Perhaps this isn't destiny- perhaps it is community in action.

Valerie, like many of us, stepped into her small JET town where she often heard students muttering “I can’t read this!” “This is Japan, I don’t know why we’re learning English.” But what she was able to create with a microgrant from USJETAA was nothing less than a reading revolution in her community of students. Want the full JET ALT warm fuzzies? Read her story!