Growing up in Osaka, Japan, Yuri Ueno dreamed of being a singer or dancer in the bright lights on stage or screen in the faraway cities of New York City or Los Angeles.
She first learned English by reading monologues from plays. In 2023, her academic journey brought her to SDSU Global Campus, where she enrolled in the American Language Institute to help further sharpen her English skills. She returned a year later to study English in the University Pathway program.
When her ALI cohort held an end-of-term party last spring, Ueno wowed the group by singing the song “Let it Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen” in both Japanese and English.
“When Yuri first arrived at the ALI in the spring of 2023, we didn’t know about her great talent until the very end of her program,” said Renee Rodriquez, Director of Intensive English Programs. “It was a delight to welcome her back a year later and help pave the way for her entrance into the Theater Arts degree program at SDSU.”
Ueno, 23, is still chasing her on-stage dreams, but now as a Musical Theater major at SDSU and on track to graduate in 2028.
“I learned ballet as a kid, and then in junior high, I started to learn singing and dance, not just ballet, but also jazz and theater,” Ueno said. “I love performing on stage in front of people.”
Watch and listen as Yuri sings “Part of Your World” from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Ueno’s journey to San Diego was not exactly a straight line from the large port city where she grew up with her parents and a younger brother.
She arrived in New York City to study performing arts amid the COVID-19 pandemic and faced strict rules for her travel and stay in the country, but she could not give up her dream even though she lost her desire to study in New York. Her San Diego-based English pronunciation coach encouraged her to move to his hometown to make her dream come true
Now at SDSU, Ueno’s goal has changed to getting her degree in theater arts, while also pursuing her main passion to perform in front of people.
