For 20 years now, Marsha Rosenberg has worked as a speech and language pathologist in Tokyo's international community. She says that from the beginning, when she was first deciding upon a career, she knew she was going to be a language pathologist. "I knew I wanted something to do with educating children, but I didn't want to be in a classroom," she said. Now that she has come so far along her chosen path, and looks back at her record of professional success, she also looks ahead. "I am glad to be in a career where I am able to continue," she said.
Marsha comes from Cleveland, Ohio. She was a young bride when, two days after graduating from Ohio State University, she came with her husband, Jerry, to Japan. "I was just dragged along, thinking we would be here for one year," Marsha said. Both of them not only taught English here but also studied Japanese language and culture during what became three years of their initial stay.
"When we left, we didn't intend to come back," she went on. She returned to Cleveland to receive her master's degree in speech and language pathology, and to teach in public schools. "We bought a house. Our two daughters were born there. Then one day Jerry came home and said, 'I just have to go back to Japan.' I said, 'OK.' We had such a wonderful experience here, but we knew we wouldn't return as English teachers. We decided if Jerry could find a good job we would come back, and it would be for a long time." Jerry found his work with Amway, and the family settled in Yokohama.