Masaru Mito: Recipient of the 2025 Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching

Our department is thrilled to share the fantastic news that Masaru Mito-sensei has been selected as a recipient of the 2024-25 Board of Regents (BOR) Medal for Excellence in Teaching! This is the highest honor awarded for exceptional teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. From emphasizing “real-world interactions,” to utilizing “authentic materials from diverse sources,” Mito-sensei makes sure to provide ample opportunities for his students to practice their language skills with cultural accuracy and clearly defined purpose.

Evident in his students’ comments, Mito-sensei successfully accomplishes his mission “to help students find happiness within themselves and bring joy to others by fostering cross-cultural language learning and developing interpersonal relationships.” Undoubtedly, everyone in our department can agree with students’ comments on Mito-sensei that note “his genuine love to teach people Japanese.” We all sincerely congratulate Mito-sensei on his impressive dedication to our students studying with the East Asian Languages and Literatures department!