Alumni
Graduates of the Japanese Language and Literature programme – stories of success
Graduates of the Japanese Language and Literature programme at the Faculty of Letters (UBB) continue to promote Japanese culture in Romania and internationally. From diplomacy and translation to education, gaming and research in Japan — every graduate carries with them the values and knowledge gained in Cluj-Napoca.
Ana (Gherboveț) Johnson-Moore
“From Cluj-Napoca to Cape Cod”
Class of 2018
Japanese Language and Literature – Romanian Language and Literature
“The literature courses within the programme proved to be extremely useful.”
Adriana Pintea
“A letter to my kōhai”
Class of 2013
Japanese Language and Literature – Chinese Language and Literature
“I had no idea back then how many opportunities I would have, or how many places Japanese would take me.”
Andrei Herinean
“I came, I saw, I came back a little more”
Class of 2016
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“I am not ashamed to admit it was not easy. For all the jokes about learning the kana syllabaries and kanji, the Faculty of Letters is a demanding faculty.”
Patricia Paula Pantea
“From the heart”
Class of 2021
Japanese Language and Literature – Universal and Comparative Literature
“I solemnly urge you to choose this programme if you truly want it, with all your heart!”
Petre-Marian Văduva
“Japanese — dreams and new opportunities”
Class of 2020
Russian Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“One of the best decisions I ever made was to go to Japan.”
Ruxandra Lucia (Gaibăr) Bucur
“Welcome to the little Japanese universe”
Class of 2011
Romanian Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“From my own experience I can tell you that, whatever your reason, you have everything to gain.”
Ana-Maria Răducan
“The Japanese way”
Class of 2017
English Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“Japanese is not an easy language. But it is a beautiful language. It is beautiful because it holds so much within it.”
Alexandra Achimov
“About those years”
Class of 2019
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“The student years on this programme: the first years that began to pass — they through us, and we through time.”
Alexandru-Tudor Sîrb
“MEXT scholar, Kobe University”
Class of 2023
Japanese Language and Literature
“That was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Andrei-Teodor Radu
“The long road to Japan”
Class of 2022
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“I grew up with Ghibli films, Gundam and Inuyasha on Animax. I chose to stay at the Faculty of Letters alone.”
Bianca Miron
“Japanese memories”
Class of 2023
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“I spent a semester as an exchange student at Kanagawa University in Japan.”
Maria-Camelia Niță
“Life after university”
Class of 2018
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“I think almost every teacher wants to know the path their former students take.”
Claudiu-Bogdan Aldea
“A start towards diplomacy”
Class of 2019
English Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“I decided to stay in touch with Japanese by volunteering at the Sembazuru Centre, and then I went into diplomacy.”
Elena-Simina Din
“The Japanese way — from dreaming to achieving”
Class of 2021
Japanese Language and Literature – Finnish Language and Literature
“My sincere hope is that these lines will spark your curiosity and your resolve to follow the Japanese way.”
Elena Bulău
“A leap towards new opportunities”
Class of 2021
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“The programme gave me many opportunities, helping me continue my training at the University of Michigan.”
Evelin-Eva Tor
“Using Japanese every single day”
Class of 2021
Japanese Language and Literature – Russian Language and Literature
“My dream was to have the opportunity to use Japanese even after finishing my studies.”
Florentina Irimia
“About choices, Japan and the road to becoming”
Class of 2014
French Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“Once the initial shock had passed, I began to feel extraordinarily well; it was ‘home’, far from home.”
Larisa Giurgiu
“They call me Misa”
Class of 2014
English Language and Literature – Japanese Language and Literature
“The ten-year-old child sitting on her grandparents’ sofa watching anime never even dreamt of this life.”
Mălina-Mihaela Hardulea
“Discovering my calling through Japanese”
Class of 2021
Japanese Language and Literature – Spanish Language and Literature
“My passions — foreign languages and drawing — combined perfectly.”
Nicoleta Babuc-Hirabayashi
“A few thousand kanji later”
Japanese Language and Literature
MA in Media Design – Keio University (Tokyo)
“Sometimes the university you choose does not just give you a degree; it changes your destiny.”
Tatiana Năstase
“My journey as a graduate”
Class of 2016
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“I chose to study this language out of a wish to one day read Japanese literature in the original.”
Oana Papuc
“a profoundly remarkable experience, academically and personally”
Class of 2013
Japanese Language and Literature – English Language and Literature
“What remains most powerful after the placement are the relationships of deep warmth and openness.”
Are you a graduate of the programme?
Get in touch! Write to us and join our alumni community. The Sembazuru Centre keeps an active link with its graduates.
