Technos TA Internship Spotlight: Sebastian Dean Martin

While still a student in the film conservatory, Sebastian Dean Martin’s fascination with Japanese culture lead him to discover the opportunity to apply to Purchase’s Technos International Week (TIW). He was first nominated by his department and then selected in a competitive process as one of two students to take part in this unique two week program, which wound up changing the trajectory of his life. It also changed his perspective on film making, as he came to recognize that while New York is an important film hub, there are many more cinematic cultures to discover. As a result of his leadership during TIW, Sebastian was once again called upon to participate in the Technos Art Program (TAP), a project-based learning program in which students from Technos came to Purchase to collaborate with their peers. During TAP, Sebastian worked with Technos students to produce a music video; this project exposed him to innovative Japanese talent and through them, he learned how to integrate and incorporate a vastly different approach and processes into the project.

Based on his participation in both TIW and TAP, he wanted to continue this cultural exchange in Japan and applied to the Technos TA Internship Program, even though he had never considered teaching English before. Sebastian was once again selected through a competitive process for a year long paid internship in Japan. Initially, it was very challenging as he had no prior experience teaching English; fortunately, he had a great support system, including a previous TA who had an education background and Matt Rollo, the international coordinator for the TIW and TAP program. Sebastian is so impressed to see the progress that his Japanese students have made, even though he had a limited teaching tool belt and there were cultural barriers.

From this extended period in Japan, in many ways he feels more at home in Japan than he ever did in NY when it comes to cultural values, such as the importance of collaborating for the benefits of the community over individual gain. He also continues to try to learn and follow social cultural norms, such as riding the train quietly, but also recognizes that he will most likely make some mistakes along the way, such as when he was riding the train with friends who were visiting from NY. All he can do is put the effort in, which is recognized by the locals in his community. As a TA, he also found it sometimes tricky to find a balance between respecting Japanese culture while also teaching his students about his culture.

Sebastian is grateful that his life has taken this path and that Purchase had such a partnership, viewing this partnership as one of Purchase’s many strengths. From this challenging and yet deeply rewarding experience, he has discovered that he has a strong passion for education and has recently accepted a position to teach elementary school students English in Japan for a year. Although teaching has become a main focus for Sebastian, he still works on film projects in his free time.