Alum Returns to NCC to Lead Japanese Cultural Program

Sometimes you need to leave home to fully appreciate it. Such is the case of former international student at Northampton Community College (NCC), Megumi Taguchi, who came to the United States about six years ago to study and teach Japanese culture and art to people outside of her home country. She returned to Japan at the end of March 2023 with a new admiration of Japanese history, art and culture and fond memories of her Northampton Community College (NCC) experience. 

Taguchi’s story begins in Shizuoka, Japan, where she lived with her mother, a teacher, her father, an engineer, and her younger brother. After finishing high school, Taguchi moved to Tokyo to attend a fashion and beauty school. She also worked as a sales associate at Uniqlo, a clothing store, organizing visually appealing store merchandise racks and displays. Her creative passions would later motivate her endeavors once she came to the United States. 

“I wanted to experience life in another part of the world and learn to speak English fluently,” she said. She applied and was accepted to the Advancing the Community of Tomorrow (ACT) internship program at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The program is affiliated with Columbia University. She taught Japanese art classes to children in Manhattan and attended St. Giles International, an English language school. At night, she took classes at Columbia University. She was nothing short of busy.  

A family friend living in the United States, John Gilmore, heard that Taguchi was studying in New York and encouraged her to consider transferring to NCC’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. Gilmore and his family invited her to stay in their home while she attended school. She says she’s glad she made the switch. 

“I had a very good experience at Northampton overall,” Taguchi said. “The college is such a small community. I could talk face to face to my professors and get all my questions answered.” 

A talented artist, she entered the fine arts program at NCC, graduating in 2020. Her art has been featured on both Bethlehem and Monroe Campuses as a student and as an alum. 

After graduating from NCC, she enrolled in Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, where she majored in fiber and material studies. Soon after she arrived on campus, the COVID pandemic prevented in-person classes.  

“It was a little tough. That first year, I spent all my time in my dorm room alone, taking classes. I wasn’t able to meet in person with my professors.”  

Through the Department of Homeland Security’s Optional Practical Training (OPT) Program, Taguchi was allowed to remain in the United States for an additional year to gain work experience. After earning her BFA from Temple, she returned to NCC as the coordinator of the Japanese Cultural Program. 

Funded through a grant NCC received from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, the Japanese Cultural Program hosts and promotes in-person and virtual Japanese exchange programs for the diverse NCC community. The goal is to enable as many people as possible to expand their knowledge of contemporary and historical Japanese art, culture and society. Participants include NCC students, faculty and staff, local primary and secondary school students, and the broader community in and around the Lehigh Valley. 

As coordinator, Taguchi organized and executed 35 events and programs, including NCC’s first Japanese language course, live Japanese dance performances, origami folding exercises, a kimono fashion show, and workshops in calligraphy and Taiko, a type of traditional Japanese drumming. As a part of the Japanese Cultural Program, Taguchi also worked with the Japan Society of Northern California, which assisted her in graphic design and website development.  

Taguchi paints and creates accessories and clothing, including handbags and traditional Japanese kimonos. There is a particular and complex way to wear a kimono, and she’s a certified kimono dresser. “Kimono fabrics and colors have significance, providing information about the wearer, such as status and age. The kimono is a full-length T-shaped robe with long sleeves secured by a decorative belt.” Kimonos are pieces of art that change with the seasons, she said. 

While in Japan, Taguchi intends to enroll in a school that teaches kimono making. She wants to create a clothing line based on traditional kimonos and modern adaptations. One day, she hopes to return to the United States.