In January 2026, Institutional Relations Manager Andrew Sandefur interviewed* Lafayette College and Temple Japan – Tokyo study abroad alumnus Maytee Chinavanichkit (Spring 2010) about his study abroad experience. Maytee is currently an Engineering Manager at Indeed in Japan, and he reflected on how studying abroad shaped his career.
*Please note the interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Andrew Sandefur: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, went to university in the States at Lafayette College as a computer science major, and spent a semester in Japan. I loved it. But I needed to get a job and needed to get my career going. I went back to the States, finished my undergrad, went to San Francisco, and worked in a startup for a bit. I lived in Singapore for a couple of years, then went back to Japan, and seven years later, this is where I am now.
Andrew Sandefur: Did you know when you got to Lafayette that you wanted to study abroad, or is that something that you figured out once you got there?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: I visited Japan the first time right after graduation, and I fell in love with it. I had gone to an international school in Thailand, so my education was all in English. I was kind of set up to go study somewhere where English was the primary language. So the US was still the best place to be, but I definitely wanted to spend more time in Japan. When I got to Lafayette , I didn’t know that there would be an opportunity to go do a semester abroad in Japan. Eventually, I figured out that this opportunity existed and took it.
Andrew Sandefur: And before studying abroad, what were your career aspirations?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: I knew I liked computers, and I was starting to get interested in startups, so I was trying to figure out how to get into some programming or engineering role.
Andrew Sandefur: Can you tell me about your current job in Japan?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: Yes, I’m at Indeed right now. I’m an Engineering Manager, and I have a team of over 10 people. We are building two main products: an Indeed Pro subscription product, where you can get access to extra features to make your job search better, and a feature called Interview Prep, which is an AI tool where you can talk to an AI agent, and it will help guide you through your interview experience.
Andrew Sandefur: How did studying abroad with Temple Japan help lead to this career in Japan?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: I had kept in touch with one of my friends from the Temple Japan program, and after I went back to the U.S., I would visit Japan basically once a year. We kept in touch, met up, did dinners, and eventually, my friend got married to his wife, who was working at Indeed at the time. This led to me applying for a position there too, and that’s how I ended up moving to Japan.
Andrew Sandefur: Any piece of advice for students who are studying abroad in Japan?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: Enjoy it! Take as much as you can from the program. There are a lot of great people at Temple Japan. I met a bunch of lifelong friends.
Andrew Sandefur: Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your time at all?
Maytee Chinavanichkit: Yes, I’d like to give a shout-out to the Program Management team at Temple’s Education Abroad Office. They helped so much with the pre-departure prep, the paperwork, the travel elements, the homestay, etc. They were great!