Senior Greg Golden’s experiences at Colgate are more than just a continuation of his education. He has grown throughout his four years, allowing himself to learn not just from professors and classrooms, but also from experiences and life.

Golden is actively involved in a number of wide-ranging organizations on campus. He is a member of the Colgate Christian Fellowship and previously served as the Vice President of the Newman Community. In addition, he participates in both Latin American Dance and Club Fencing and is a member of the Student Lecture Forum. But Golden’s primary responsibility is his role as President of Japan Club. Within that club, Golden organizes bi-weekly coffee hours that allow students to practice their language skills and to explore Japanese culture.

“Language is my passion,” Golden said.

As he will graduate in May with a double major in Japanese and Spanish and has studied abroad twice, it is clear that this declaration is no exaggeration. Golden speaks, at least at a basic level, eight languages and is fluent in three beside English. Next year, he hopes to be teaching English in Japan through the Jet Program. Even if he does not end up with Jet, Golden said that he would love to live and work in Japan at some point in his life.

Part of Golden’s enthusiasm for living halfway around the world may come from his experiences studying abroad. Golden traveled to Japan in the fall of his sophomore year and to Madrid in the fall of his junior year. Though Golden clearly loved both of those semesters, it was the months in Japan that he describes as life-changing.

“Before that, I was pretty close-minded,” Golden said.

Hailing from a fairly conservative household in Texas, his worldview was somewhat limited before his experience in Japan. It was there that he saw a completely different culture and visited Buddhist temples, where he came to the conclusion that “religion is about loving others, not just following rules.” Golden learned that all different ideas have merit and was inspired to look beyond what he knew.

“I realized that you can learn something from everyone,” Golden said. “That’s partly why I like learning new languages; it allows me to talk to even more people.”

As Golden had such an eye-opening college experience, it is only natural that he would encourage other students to take advantage of the variety of opportunities that Colgate has to offer.