Four PJATK students head to Japan for 6 months!

As early as April 7, four PJATK students from the Department of Japanese Culture and New Media Arts (Gdansk branch) will fly to Japan for a six-month internship to represent Poland at the EXPO 2025 Osaka world exhibition. This is a unique moment in the history of our university - and the result of more than two years of intensive preparation!

Exceptional four

Out of 52 submissions among PJATK students, a group of four extremely committed individuals was selected. They are:

- Marcelina Nowakowska
- Nadia Zaranska (Art of New Media PJATK GDAŃSK)
- Jędrzej Kasprzak
- Joanna Gawryła

All four stand out not only for their knowledge of Japanese at a communicative level, but also for their willingness to develop soft skills and openness to cross-cultural experiences. A total of 58 students from 8 Polish universities are flying to Japan.

Care, support and preparation

The project was led by the head of the PJATK Promotion Department, Ms. Marta Myszewska, Eliza Lipinska and Krzysztof Ciemny, who kept an eye on administrative and promotional matters throughout the project, and made sure that students felt taken care of and motivated - even in more difficult moments. Candidates could count on mental and organizational support at every stage.

The commitment of the Project Office and the Center for International Exchange, which took care of all the paperwork: insurance, regulations, contracts, etc., was also invaluable.

Recruitment of students was supervised by, among others: Head of the Project Office Ms. Eliza Lipinska and Dean of the Faculty of Culture of Japan Jerzy Wasilewski, acting as chairmen of the jury. The final selection was not easy. Japanese language verification was carried out by our teachers Piotr Milewski (author of the book "Tokyo") and Jakub Zajfert, who played a key role in assessing the language competence of the candidates.

Thank you, Rector, for your trust and permission to join the EXPO Osaka 2025 project. Thanks to this decision, 4 students will be one step closer to fulfilling their dreams! This is a great honor for our department of Japanese Culture and New Media Arts. 

What awaits students in Japan?

Participants in the program are provided with flights, accommodation, insurance and a small monthly stipend. They will work in the Polish Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka, run by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), in shifts - two days of work, two days of rest and sightseeing.

In order to best prepare for their duties, the students completed an additional course in Japanese business language, taught by Ms. Ewa Mackiewicz, a Japanese speaker at the Polish-Japanese Academy, and thoroughly familiarized themselves with and learned the schedule of EXPO events. The students equally received health and safety training and participated in preparatory meetings organized by PAIH, for all Polish Pavilion volunteers.

Even before the trip, they also had the opportunity to participate in an informal meeting with representatives of the Pasona Group - the main organizer of EXPO Osaka 2025 - and Dilottle Japan, which gave them a better understanding of the Japanese market and the climate of the event they will be attending.