With a love for languages, Henry Groves decided to study BA (Hons) Asia Pacific Studies with Japanese at the University of Central Lancashire.
Henry has many wonderful memories from his time at the University and recalls being “challenged, developed, and nurtured by the course, developing the academic skills needed to progress from undergraduate studies to the world beyond.”
Henry deeply enjoyed the history side of the BA (Hons) Asia Pacific Studies course and enrolled in modules on the history of Taiwan, Japan, China and The Cold War. Henry was impressed by the course syllabus, which was “multi-disciplinary“, covering all corners of the Asia Pacific. This enabled Henry to apply himself academically in a way that helped him develop his own interests.
It wasn’t just the course syllabus that stood out to Henry, the advice and knowledge he gained from the lecturers and the School of Psychology and Humanities faculty staff was crucial to his learning development. Henry said: “At UCLan you can find linguists, anthropologists, historians, IR experts and more, all of whom are enthusiastic in helping students outside the classroom. Be it expanding on material covered in class or just having a friendly chat, they were there.”
"I am able to use my skills I gained at UCLan every day, be it Japanese language skills, organisational skills or my academic writing"
— BA (Hons) Asia Pacific Studies graduate, Henry Groves
Of course, no academic experience is purely based in the classroom and Henry found that the course offered many opportunities to break up the ways in which you learn. Henry enjoyed guest lectures, social events, summer balls, and most excitingly, international study trips to Asia.
Henry’s study trip to Taiwan in the second year remained a highlight when remembering his University experience. Complimenting the module on Taiwan’s history and culture, the trip was a two-week academic tour of Taiwan. “My best memory there is walking along the black volcanic sand beaches of the east coast at sunset, followed by a relaxed evening with friends over a local seafood meal.” Henry said.
Henry is grateful for the skills and knowledge he gained at UCLan as it helped him progress to postgraduate studies. In his final year, Henry applied to study a postgraduate course at a University in London.
Henry now works as Corporate Management Executive Assistant at Konami Digital Entertainment, a role based around stringent internal processes regarding expense management, risk management, financial planning, client liaison and communication with their Japanese HQ.
“I truly enjoyed my time at UCLan and I miss it a lot.” Henry said.
