Naoko Ozaki received her Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education from Indiana University Bloomington. Her doctoral research focused on issues regarding Arabic-speaking immigrants in the United States. Prior to coming to Rice University, she taught introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels of Japanese, mathematics, humanities, and foreign language teacher education at universities and a community college. Ozaki-sensee’s students learn not only the language structure but also the cultural background to enhance their ability to use the language they study in the class. In addition to teaching, she serves on the Board of Global Education Center in Nashville, Tennessee.