“I am grateful, and I think OCCC has the best faculty who inspire us in class and outside of class daily.”
– WLCC Coordinator Chiaki Troutman
Have you ever heard of the World Languages and Cultures Center? Have you ever attended a “Coffee and Conversations” event or a writing workshop on campus? If so, you may have met one of the most important people who makes these events possible — Chiaki Troutman, coordinator of the WLCC.
Troutman works behind the scenes to ensure everything is in place. From assisting students and researching and ordering materials to writing proposals to secure event funding and processing requisitions, Troutman helps keep the WLCC operating every day.
The WLCC, located inside the Learning Hub, promotes cultural awareness on campus by offering discussions hosted by faculty members, foreign films, grammar references, manga books and assistance with accessing the Rosetta Stone program. The WLCC has planned a number of upcoming programs, including “Coffee and Conversations” events, guided reading sessions, manga discussions, foreign film screenings and ESL Conversation Groups. Although each event has been created with students in mind, all of them have proven to be memorable for Troutman herself as well.
Before becoming the coordinator of the WLCC, Troutman began her career as an English language teacher in her hometown of Sapporo, a city in northern Japan. Growing up, she had often dreamed of becoming a teacher. One day, while taking a required English language class, she realized what kind of teacher she wanted to be — a language teacher.
“English as a foreign language was required in middle school in my country,” Troutman explained. “I really liked the grammar … and became more interested in English.”
Later, as a young adult in college, she decided to attend a homestay program in the United States and left her country to live for a month with an American family in San Francisco. That was the first time Troutman spoke English with native speakers.
“I could not speak English at all,” Troutman confessed. “The people I met there were nice and tried to understand me. That made me like the American people, culture and the language, and soon I became an English teacher in my home country.”
After teaching for 10 years in Sapporo, Troutman decided to take a sabbatical leave in 2003 and attend Oklahoma City University as an international graduate student.
“I wanted to upgrade my qualifications as a teacher,” she said, “and I wanted to improve my English and teaching skills.”
However, like many international students, Troutman soon discovered that studying in the U.S. was not easy.
“I was brave, but I was ignorant,” she recalled. “I felt I could do everything like I did in my country. My English was not good back then. But there are always people who are helpful and supportive.”
The culture and education system in the U.S. were very different from what Troutman was used to, but she always found a helping hand. So after receiving her master’s degree at OCU, Troutman decided to stay in Oklahoma and begin a life here.
“I meant to go back to my country to resume my teaching, but I found something better here,” she said. “I married, and I found a job here.”
In 2008, Troutman became the coordinator of the WLCC, assuming her post the same year that the center opened. As someone who witnessed the WLCC grow from the beginning, Troutman has developed a deep affection for the center, calling it her child and a reflection of herself.
“The WLCC is my baby,” she declared. “I even feel like it’s myself, since I was here from the start. It’s my passion in life.”
Troutman has not only made a mark at OCCC through the WLCC and its students, but she has also impacted the faculty members she has worked with along the way. English professors Jeffery Provine and Lori Farr expressed their gratitude for Troutman and the many contributions that she has made on campus.
“It has been a joy to collaborate with her to share in a wide range of programming, from creativity to the history of fashion to global scary stories,” Provine said. “I’m so thankful to have Mrs. Troutman as a wonderful part of the OCCC community.”
Farr wholeheartedly agreed.
“Mrs. Chiaki Troutman is a wonderful event planner and host for the WLCC ‘Coffee and Conversations’ series,” Farr said. “She is gracious and hospitable, and I truly appreciate her kindness and willingness to promote the topics and sessions we contribute.”
Pioneer Advisor-Editor Melissa Davis also voiced her appreciation for the longtime WLCC coordinator.
“The Pioneer has covered a number of the ‘Coffee and Conversations’ events hosted by the World Languages and Cultures Center here at OCCC, and Chiaki Troutman has done an outstanding job of organizing every one of them,” Davis said. “OCCC is lucky to have her. She is a genuine treasure.”
So the next time you attend a “Coffee and Conversations” event, join a manga or foreign film discussion, enjoy the refreshments or watch the slideshows, just remember that it is through Troutman’s hard work that these special experiences are made possible for the OCCC community.
