Photo of Masae Nakagaki

Masae Nakagaki

My curiosity and challenging spirit brought me to Goldsmiths, where I knew I would encounter something or someone totally different from my existing world.

Main details

Year graduated 2018
Occupation Integrated Media Lead
Country Japan

"Before I went back to a student life in London to change my career path, I was working for a Japanese advertising agency, which had been my dream since I was little. Building a career in my dream field was exciting, however, something pushed me to challenge myself to go an extra mile and apply for an MA. My curiosity and challenging spirit brought me to Goldsmiths, where I knew I would encounter something or someone totally different from my exisiting world. 

I chose to study MA Brands, Communication and Culture at Goldsmiths, graduating in 2018. The reason I chose Goldsmiths was very clear: it's because the school has a high reputation in research and study within the media and creative field on a global scale. I was eager to encounter people from other countries who were also studying at Goldsmiths and therefore were at a high level in their fields, and with whom I could share experiences and knowledge.

I gained three key things from my time at Goldsmiths: 

  1. The library: I was always impressed by the books Goldsmiths stores in the library. Every time I went to the library I found a fascinating book, even in other department areas. The library is an example of being at a top academic organisation of media and creative studies. Also, studying overseas taught me the importance of reading and absorbing information in another language as this gave me a wider and more objective point of view.
  2. Plenty of surprise and motivation from my amazing classmates: my classmates were simply amazing people. I really respected their courage to speak up in classes, as well as their educational and career backgrounds, yet they were still modest and had a very passionate attitude to others and their studies! I'm really lucky to have them in my life and to have shared such a precious time. 
  3. Flatmates who became lifelong friends: this may be cheesy, but my flatmates were my greatest gain. I was living in student accommodation and met nine other students who were also studying at Goldsmiths. I would never have been able to complete my academic life without them. We studied together until midnight, encouraged each other, cooked together, watched Netflix, went into central London and explored across the city, and we also talked about religion and politics, embracing our differences. These times shared by friends all chasing our dreams were incredible and dramatic. I hope that any future Goldsmiths students also meet someone special whilst studying. 

After I left Goldsmiths I joined an international company in Japan and have been working as their integrated media lead, utilising what I learnt during my course and also using the courage I gained. I'm not sure if I'm playing as globally now as I had dreamed, I'm halway there though. "

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