MTSU alum serves in Youth Ambassador program at 2025 World Expo in Japan

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Four weeks before earning a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in May, Monika Ilicic headed to Osaka, Japan, as a youth ambassador representing the United States at the 2025 World Expo.

“I believe this once-in-a-lifetime internship has worked out really well with my academics and I am grateful MTSU provided me with the resources and amazing teachers to help me get there,” said Ilicic, a Nashville resident who majored in foreign languages with a concentration in Japanese in the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and minors in Spanish and global studies in the Department of Political and Global Affairs.

The World Expo — a six-month global event that is expected to draw more than 28 million visitors — is a platform for the 160 participating countries to showcase their culture and innovative spirit through interactive exhibits. Expos are held every five years in different cities.

Ilicic is one of 89 young adults between the ages of 19 and 27 who were hand-picked for the highly competitive Youth Ambassador program organized through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of State and Sister Cities International, a diplomacy organization founded by the late U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. There are Americans from 45 states who speak a collective 22 different languages.

Middle Tennessee State University alumna Monika Ilicic, of Nashville, Tenn., first row, far right, is one of 89 youth ambassadors serving at the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan. Ilicic is part of the full cohort of interns in the Youth Ambassador program who are serving the full six months of the global event that welcomes 160 countries. (Submitted photo)

“Youth Ambassadors serve as the ‘faces of America’ at world fairs and expositions,” said Ilicic, whose assignment at the U.S. Pavilion extends through Oct. 15. “To simplify, we represent the United States, often to people who may have never met an American before, in a positive light.”

Middle Tennessee State University alumna Monika Ilicic, of Nashville, stands at the entrance of the German Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, where she is serving in the Youth Ambassador program while representing the United States at the U.S. Pavilion. (Submitted photo)

The ambassadors staff the U.S. Pavilion and duties include managing the queue, live interpretation, serving as a tour guide and interacting with the virtual mascot named Spark as they guide visitors through the five sections of the pavilion.

“This experience will improve my hard skills using Japanese every day as well as cultural sensitivity and managing groups with a lot of cultural diversity when I lead tours or present in front of a crowd,” said Ilicic, a native of Croatia who speaks four languages. “I chose to study languages and global studies because I enjoy being around people and making friends.”

Exhibits spotlight exchange programs, agricultural and medical advancements, and beautiful scenery from across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The final section focuses on space exploration and the Artemis program, a NASA-led international effort to return to the moon, and highlights the collaboration between the U.S. and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

“In the final room, everyone takes a virtual trip to the moon together in a space rocket-themed room built with simulated launchers and three giant LED screens,” Ilicic explained.

On her days off, Ilicic spends time exploring the 383-acre expo park.

Watch this video highlighting the U.S. Pavilion on this webpage:

“It’s been my goal while I’m here to get to all of the pavilions. I’ve hit a solid 30% or so of all the pavilions so far,” said Ilicic, who arrived in Japan in early April.

Ilicic’s current assignment isn’t her first stint in Japan. In 2023, she enrolled in a yearlong MTSU study abroad program at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan.

“Originally, I wasn’t going to study abroad, mostly because I wasn’t aware long-term programs were a feasible option for me,” said Ilicic, who graduated summa cum laude. “It was there I was exposed to more Japanese culture and language, and met some amazing friends.”

With ties already established in Japan, Ilicic was invited to apply to the ambassador program.

“I knew she was going to be a very strong candidate given her background and what she had to offer,” said Priya Ananth, MTSU professor of Japanese and program coordinator who wrote letters of recommendation. “She is one of those students who is outstanding both in and outside of the classroom. In my classes, she was consistently hardworking, highly passionate, and strongly driven to learn and apply her Japanese language and culture skills. Outside of class, Monika voluntarily served in several leadership positions in student clubs and community events.”

Once she returns to the U.S., she plans to apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, also known as JET, a selective initiative sponsored by the Japanese government that invites graduates worldwide to work in schools and government offices to promote international exchange.

“I like teaching and think it is a great way to also further my Japanese skills. I want to stay within the realm of language and helping people,” said Ilicic, whose language skills helped with Spanish-speaking customers at her job.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)