Returning home prepared: BYU-Hawaii student lands a job with a multinational firm in Tokyo
May 14, 2010
“Brigham Young University-Hawaii changed my life,” says recent graduate Masahiko Honda. “When I first came here, I had not yet served a mission, so being in this environment surrounded by the Church and the school helped me prepare, and the example of good friends here motivated me. Since my mission, I have a stronger commitment to education. And most important, I met my wife here. I’m so grateful for BYU-Hawaii.” “This is a wonderful place,” agrees Eria Honda, Masahiko’s wife. “It will always be special for us.” The Hondas grew up in different cities in Japan. As children, their families were friends, but they met again in Laie in 2001, and they were married in the Laie Hawaii Temple in 2006. Eria graduated from BYU-Hawaii with a degree in exercise science in 2008 and has since earned an MBA online from another university. Masahiko graduated from BYU-Hawaii in information systems this past June. Today they are settling into an apartment in Tokyo, where Masahiko has a job with Deutsche Securities, Inc., (a Deutsche Bank company in Japan). He is enjoying his work and says that every day he learns something new. Eria was recently called to serve in their ward’s Relief Society presidency. How did a student from Japan come to school in Hawaii and end up with a job back in Japan? Perseverance, hard work, trust, and what some might call luck have paved Masahiko’s path to Laie and back. Masahiko is a second generation Seasider, so he grew up on stories of BYU-Hawaii. “I knew about the diversity of students,” he says. “My father still has connections with friends from his BYU-Hawaii school days, and now I have a lot of friends from around the world. I know I made the right choice in coming here.” With his first year of school behind him, Masahiko returned home to serve as a missionary for the Church in the Japan Hiroshima Mission. Coming back to BYU-Hawaii, he got into his major and kept his focus on returning to Japan when his studies were complete. After getting married, he and Eria were eager to return home. They knew that following graduation they wanted to find employment and rear their family in Japan. The Yamagata Foundation Asia and Pacific Internship Fund provides travel stipends to international students who intern. Through the fund, Gene and Allyson Yamagata have helped nearly 1,000 BYU-Hawaii students complete internships in more than 40 countries. President Steven C. Wheelwright says, “The impact is unmistakable; the Yamagatas bless students and through them families, communities, and countries.” Looking for an internship, Masahiko sent his résumé and cover letters to contacts and possible employers. One of his father’s acquaintances passed Masahiko’s information along, and Masahiko got several calls. One was from Deutsche Securities, Inc., and they were interested in him. After several communications and phone interviews, Masahiko was invited to intern. Masahiko applied for and received a Yamagata grant to fund his travel back to Tokyo so that he could intern with Deutsche Securities. “Interning was a really great experience,” says Masahiko. “I had a lot of opportunities to learn technical skills.” He worked in the firm’s audio-visual and help-desk departments. “At the bank every second is important,” he says. “The atmosphere is intense. Employees always asked me how long a project might take; so I learned to give quick and reasonable estimates and to finish within the stated time.” He learned other things and earned a reputation as being helpful. He finished his internship having had a great practical experience-and with a job offer. Masahiko is prepared and able to be the kind of leader BYU-Hawaii exists to produce. “I’ve really been blessed,” he says. “I’m going to tell my kids that BYU-Hawaii is a wonderful place.”Securing an internship
Learning life’s lessons
