World Languages and Cultures

Distinguished Alumni

Dustin J. Kidd, Japanese

Dustin J. Kidd is a Japanese graduate, Class of 2000, and a founder of Dustin J. Kidd Japanese Language Scholarship that supports Japanese language learning for the students in our department today. Thank you, Professor Kidd, for your contributions and support for Japanese at CWU!

Dustin J. Kidd back on CWU campus. 

Professor Kidd is a World Languages and Cultures Distinguished Alumnus and we are excited to feature his story here, originally published in 2023 in CWU News and written by Robin Burck.

"For some, studying abroad means spending a short time in a foreign country before returning home to finish school, graduate, and find a job. For others, like Dustin Kidd, it’s a chance to fall in love with a new place and decide to stay there.  

Like many young people, Kidd wasn’t sure where his path would lead after high school. When faced with choosing which college to attend, a simple, personal touch made one institution stand out in his mind. “The real kicker for me choosing Central was the acceptance letter,” said Kidd, who grew up in Pasco. “Every other college addressed my letters as ‘dear prospective student,’ but my letter from Central was addressed to me, by my name.”  

He began learning Japanese at Central and decided to continue his studies at the University of Shimane, a CWU sister-university in Japan. He had such a positive experience there that he knew he would want to go back someday.  

After graduation, Kidd returned to Shimane for three years as an assistant English teacher in elementary and middle school. He then taught only elementary students for two years. That’s when a connection from Kidd’s time at CWU—a person who came from Shimane to Central via the exchange program—offered him a teaching job at a private school in Hokkaido.  

“The way I got that job showed me that it all kind of connects back,” Kidd said. “After a couple years, I really started to miss Shimane and got a job teaching at a private high school back there before teaching part-time on campus.” After five years of teaching part-time, Kidd was hired full-time in 2014, when he began teaching classes about observing cultures from different perspectives, focusing on intercultural understanding...

“It is fun because the students are always bringing new ideas and new perspectives,” Kidd said. “I have the opportunity to teach culture and guiding, focusing on visiting sightseeing spots in the area, but looking at them from a perspective of explaining them to a person who is not from Japan.”  

Kidd put this concept into practice when he brought groups of students from Shimane to CWU each summer for about three weeks prior to the pandemic. While in Ellensburg, the students learned more about the American culture with a chaperone who knew the campus and the town. Kidd enjoyed coming back and visiting while showing his students where his journey to becoming their professor began.

“Before I was an exchange student, I helped out with the ESL program and took students from Shimane University around Central’s campus when they came to visit,” he said. “I was on the receiving end of helping students, and now that I’m over in Shimane, I had the chance to bring students over to Central.” 

Rising Star Alumni

Andrew MacDonald, Russian Studies

Andrew MacDonald is a Russian Studies graduate, Class of 2020. Thank you, Andrew, for contributing your story below, and we cannot wait to see what you do next!

Andrew teaching English in Zambia

"I graduated in 2020 from CWU with a double major in Russian Studies and Geography, with a minor in International Studies. During my time at CWU, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Vladivostok, Russia, for a semester.

Graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic limited international work opportunities, so I found great work for three seasons as a wild land firefighter with the Department of Natural Resources in Ellensburg. In 2022, when the Peace Corps resumed their volunteer work abroad, I eagerly joined the first post-pandemic cohort of Rural Education Development volunteers in Zambia.

As an Education Volunteer in Zambia, my primary duty was to teach English as a foreign language. I used my experience as a language learner and international student to shape my teaching approach and lesson plans. I was surprised to find that some Zambians had studied in Russia or Ukraine for higher education programs, which gave us an unexpected connection. I returned to Washington State from the Peace Corps in October 2024.

I am now working as an EMT in Western Washington. During my EMT course, I completed a shift at an emergency department, where I had the pleasure of meeting a Russian-speaking patient, reminding me of the significant Russian-speaking population in the area.

Looking ahead, I am joining a volunteer program to teach U.S. immigrants English language and literacy, where I hope to work with Russian speakers. I am still exploring potential paths in international or emergency medical careers.

As a student at CWU, I could not have predicted that I would live in Zambia or consider an EMS career, but it seems that wherever I go, and in whatever work I pursue, my experiences with Russian language and culture continue to have an impact."