Japan-Palau Alumni Series: Vol.20 Ms. Brendlynn Joseph (Yaoch)

Ms. Brendlynn Joseph is an alumna of the Specialized Training College program of Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship in 1994. Ms. Brendlynn majored in civil engineering at Chuo University.
 
Her interest in Japan started to grow when she saw the active presence and involvement of Japan in many areas of Palau from the tourism sector to even construction and engineering. She thought it would increase her opportunities if she were to return back home, so she decided to go to study in Japan. Right after graduating from Palau High School, she was accepted for the MEXT scholarship but had to decline the offer to care for a family member. However, she tried it again, which she was accepted again, so she started to study in Japan in 1994.
 
At first, she studied Japanese language at Bunka Institute of Language. Ms. Brendlynn has her belief that “People need to immerse themselves into a culture to better learn their language.” In fact, she was able to learn the Japanese language quickly. After moving to Chuo University, Ms. Brendlynn was active in a variety of fields. She immersed herself in the Japanese community and she was also a member of Chuo University’s volleyball club and was one of the starting six players of the team which was rare at that time. She laughs as she told us about how some of the teachers and students thought “she was from Okinawa” because of her lighter complexion. She could travel to different areas of Japan to compete in volleyball games in the summertime. On the other hand, she worked part time at a café called Mountain. The owner hired many students from the Pacific Islands, so she made a lot of friends and enjoyed her student life in Japan.
 
Although Ms. Brendlynn mostly enjoyed her time in Japan, a serious incident prompted her to move to live far from her university. The long train rides, coupled with growing homesickness, made things increasingly difficult, and ultimately, she decided to leave before her scholarship period concluded.
 
Even though her time in Japan wasn’t how she hoped it would end, Ms. Brendlynn continued to work hard and seek new opportunities. After she left Japan, she started living in the United States, and worked as a customer service agent for a high-end retail company that had a large amount of Japanese clientele. She was able to assist the Japanese clients, utilizing her Japanese language skills.
 
After returning to Palau, she realized that she needed to find a way to get a higher education. Ms. Brendlynn applied for the Australian Aid program and studied Law at the University of South Pacific Emalus Campus in Vanuatu. She graduated in 2005 with her Bachelor of Law. Ms. Brendlynn furthered her studies in Law at the University of Hawaii Manoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law, where she received her Master's Degree and her Juris Doctor Degree.
 
After completing her schooling, she served as an Assistant Attorney General from 2009 to 2010 in Palau. She then moved to Guam with her husband, Mr. Waylan Joseph, and worked as a Prosecutor for a couple of years. Ms. Brendlynn returned to Palau in 2021 and began her current job as a staff attorney for Micronesian Legal Services. She told us that her main goal at the end of the day is to be able to help people. She believes that her work at Micronesian Legal Services is her way of “giving back to the community.”
 
As for Japan and Palau relations, she says that Japan has supported Palau for many years, and she believed that there has been a positive impact on both nations as a result of the Japan-Palau diplomatic relations.