91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Motoko Kinebuchi

1999-2001

AA Degree

Motoko Kinebuchi chose Central Lakes College after she came to the U.S. from Japan for a 5-week home stay. She ended up in Staples, living at the home of Stan Edin, Director of Staples Technical College (now 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Staples campus), and his wife, Rose.Ìý

Motoko was able to tour the college campus, thanks to her host family. That’s what made her decide to come back to 91³Ô¹ÏÍø years later. Following her 5-week home stay, Motoko went back to Japan, and then lived and worked in Europe for a couple of years. Finally, she knew she wanted to go to college. She landed on Central Lakes College in Brainerd, where she started earning her A.A. Degree in 1999 as an international student.Ìý

As a non-traditional student, Motoko often related to her instructors more than her classmates. She still talks to a handful of those intructors today.

While at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, she worked in the library, wrote about her culture for the student newspaper, The Westbank Journal, and attended every sporting event she could.Ìý

After graduating from 91³Ô¹ÏÍø with her AA Degree, Motoko majored in Business Management with The College of St. Scholastica at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø. When she completed that degree, she interned for a year at THK Rhythm in Tennessee, doing translating and working in the production control department.Ìý

After several years, Motoko moved to Georgia to work for Hitachi, until the company offered her a job in Japan. Having always wanted to expose her three children to their heritage, she packed up her family and moved back home to Japan.Ìý

Today, Motoko works in the global quality department, where she was the first woman in her department to be promoted to manager.

Motoko visited the Brainerd campus for the first time in 22 years this week! She said it was surreal seeing her old hang out spaces again.