An accomplished Japanese language instructor, Yoko Hasegawa has experience working with a variety of innovative teaching approaches and instructional technologies, as well as in developing course curricula for university-level students. 

With more than eight years of teaching experience, Hasegawa has taught Japanese language skills to students from various countries. In recent years, she taught Japanese language courses at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo for four years and served as a junior instructor for a summer program at Beloit College in Wisconsin for one year.

The empowerment of students is central to her teaching philosophy. Aiming to foster their confidence and to create an inclusive and dynamic classroom environment, Hasegawa ensures her classes are student-centered with minimal lecturing and many opportunities for active language engagement. Her commitment to education has inspired many students to pursue further studies in Japanese, study abroad opportunities in Japan, and to teach English in Japan through the JET Program.

Hasegawa earned her master’s degree in linguistics of language teaching at the University of Oregon, where she served as a graduate teaching fellow for two years, and her bachelor’s degree in linguistics at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.