Witherspoon Twins Engage with Students at Uzumasa Campus

On April 24, 2023, KUAS Uzumasa Campus received a visit from Shonda and Shalisha Witherspoon, twin sisters who share a passion for Japanese culture and are now employed at IBM TJ Watson Research Center. At this event, the sisters met with KUAS students, shared their study abroad experience, explained the events leading up to their employment at IBM and spoke about what they are currently working towards.

As students at Florida International University, Shonda and Shalisha switched from their initial majors to Computer Information Technology, which both found to be more suitable to their interests. As children, they were interested in Japanese animation, which ultimately led to them studying Japanese language and culture. They went on to do a study abroad program at Ritsumeikan University, and during that time they were hosted by Takeshi Yamamoto, who is currently the coach for the KUAS women’s basketball team.

Shalisha and Shonda’s advice to our students consisted of three main points: “network”, “have a growth mindset”, and “mentor and be mentored”. Following their presentation, the sisters fielded questions from students in attendance, which included topics such as how to network, the future of AI in society and advice for students currently studying abroad.

We would like to thank the Witherspoon sisters for their enlightening presentation and wish them luck in their endeavors at IBM.