Consul General Ms. Karen Kelley, U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe visited President Hirofumi Makino at Okayama University for the first time on April 9 after she took office in August 2017.

Consul General Ms. Kelly and President Makino discussed the status of interaction between Okayama University and American universities and possible future exchanges. President Makino explained the university’s efforts to help achieve SDGs and said that the university strives to develop its students into globally competent human resources with practical skills who can play active roles in the international community. Consul General Ms. Kelly offered information about a Study in the U.S. Fair, which will be held in Okayama by the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe.

After discussions with President Makino, Consul General Ms. Kelly and other consuls participated in the event “Consul General Café,” which was held at the 50th Anniversary Hall. At the event, Consul General Kelly, other consuls and Okayama University students discussed the work of the consul general and promotion of international exchanges in English. She emphasized that empathy is vital for interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds and that active communication is important to develop empathy. Then she said encouragingly to the students, “You are future leaders. I hope you will do your best to make your dream come true.”