Itsumi Ishikawa-Peck, Instructor in the Department of East Asian Studies and interim director of the Japanese language program, is the recipient of the College of Humanities 2026 Distinguished Undergraduate Advising/Mentoring Award.
In a nomination letter, Wenhao Diao, Head of the Department of East Asian Studies, and Maggie Camp, Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies, wrote that “Itsumi (or Ishikawa sensei, as she’s known favorably among the students) not only teaches with care and excellence, but she has also been an amazing mentor to all the students, the instructors, and the graduate teaching assistants.”
“Itsumi has been a beloved Japanese language teacher for over two decades and a consistently dedicated teacher and mentor to thousands of the students who have gone through the program,” they wrote.
One student wrote in support of the nomination letter that Ishikawa-Peck was the first teacher she had at the U of A and despite the 9 a.m. start time, the Japanese 101 class was a delightful experience. And two years later in Japanese 202, also with Ishikawa-Peck, she was close to tears walking into the final class session.
“The support I was given by Ishikawa-sensei for the two years that it took to go through the Japanese courses for the minor enabled me to pursue my dream of understanding a language and culture that had fascinated me as a young child,” she wrote. “Ishikawa-sensei was an enthusiastic instructor each and every time she interacted with students. Across departments, across disciplines, and across language barriers, I do not think I have had a better professor in this whole university that has supported and been a mentor to me throughout my undergraduate career than Professor Ishikawa-Peck.”
Another student wrote that she had initially intended to take just two semesters of Japanese to fulfill graduation requirements, but instead decided to continue, even going to study abroad in Japan, with a new goal of reaching full fluency in the language.
“Professor Ishikawa’s unique and empathetic teaching style changed my view on language learning entirely and made me realize sides to learning I have never noticed before. She is the reason for me continuing to learn Japanese, declaring it as a minor, and going on to study abroad. She has done many things that changed my career trajectory,” the student wrote. “The more I work with her, the more my respect, admiration, and confidence in her grows. Her dedication to improving the Japanese Language program at this university is a gift to the department, and her commitment to helping every single student thrive in her classes cannot be understated.”
Undergraduate mentoring is more than just recruitment and numbers; it is also about caring, kindness, and community building, wrote Diao and Camp. As the interim Japanese language program director, she worked to attract many more students as majors and minors to the program. At one point, the number of minors increased by 54 percent in one week.
“Her combination of strategic vision, personal care, and sustained leadership has translated into measurable growth and student commitment to the program,” they wrote. “Itsumi’s outstanding mentorship extends far beyond effective classroom pedagogy and proven recruitment strategies; she models empathy, resilience, and care in ways that profoundly shape her students’ lives.”
