Meet junior Japanese major, Ben Norris!

Norris is originally from Bel Air, Md., and she transferred to Elizabethtown College this year from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. When asked why she chose her major, she cited her love for languages.

“I have always had a love for languages,” Norris said. “I visited Japan back in 2018, and I stayed with a host family. My experience with them was such an inspiration for what I wanted to do with my future.”

After being inspired by her time in Japan, Norris decided to go to college to become proficient in Japanese. She has hopes of becoming either a Japanese teacher in America or teaching English in Japan. She has been learning the language for close to four years now. She chose Etown due to its Japanese program and continues to work hard to fulfill her goals.

“I had already visited here, so I decided to transfer here!” Norris said.

Besides working hard to hone her language skills, Norris is also an artist. She finds a lot of happiness from drawing and creating new art pieces. Norris also gets together with friends every week to play Dungeons and Dragons (DND), a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, where she plays as a druid minotaur. She is also often seen working on her art while waiting for her turn during a DND session.

As she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Norris loves to express herself freely in Etown’s welcoming community. When asked, Norris said she prefers to be referred to by she/her pronouns.

“I am working on being able to shamelessly express my gender identity as both a man and a woman,” Norris said. “It has been a very fulfilling journey!”

Norris also has a leopard gecko named Ripley. He is a big support for Norris and an all around good boy.

“He supports me with my day to day life, and has been a huge support in my mental health journey,” Norris said.