From saxophone to national security: Shane Neirinckx’s serendipitous path abroad

Shane Silas Neirinckx is guided by a simple philosophy: It doesn’t matter what you do — do it as hard as you can. Passion will follow and your circuitous path will be made straight.

Five years ago, as a high school student, the Coeur d’Alene senior had no notion that he would travel to Japan, learn the language, attend university there as a U of I student on a Boren scholarship and be employed in a national security field. But in Fall 2025 Neirinckx will graduate with degrees in International Studies and Political Science and a minor in Asian studies.

The journey started with a single note.

“I like music,” he said. “I loved attending the Lionel Hampton competitions and festivals with my fellow high school musicians.”

Other than that, he didn’t have any career goals or major interests. He did know that choosing a career in music probably wasn’t in his future. He enrolled at U of I at his parent’s insistence, packed his saxophone and moved to Moscow, but lacked direction.

With no guiding light, Neirinckx followed his creed. He applied and was chosen to participate in the Vandal marching and pep bands, became a section leader and attended March Madness when Yale asked the Vandal band to fill in for their musicians at the Spokane tournament.

“We stepped in to play for Yale in their first-round game against Auburn. Yale Athletics reached out to us on short notice, and we learned the music, traveled to Spokane and filled the role, earning front row seats to the basketball game and the praise from Yale’s coach and the public. It was national news,” he said. “I love music and sports, so that was right up my alley.”

Despite the excitement of being part of the Vandal bands, Neirinckx was still looking for alternative academic opportunities.

“I really wanted to do student research,” he said. “The professors at U of I are amazing. They gave me the opportunity, and I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

Doing it, just grabbing at the chance, fits his philosophy. Thanks to other professors Neirinckx had already embraced the interesting world of political science and international studies, and a casual interest in the Japanese language spurred him to further his studies in Asian culture and politics.

When he was asked to be a co-researcher on a project about Hiroshima University, he agreed.

“I said, ‘Sure,’ because it was a chance to do research. I had never heard of Hiroshima University and didn’t know I would travel there,” he said.

But he did travel there for two weeks in Spring 2024 on a dean’s scholarship to help finish the research, and then again, for the 2024-25 school year after applying for and receiving the David L. Boren Scholarship.

“It was crazy how it all happened, it still feels like a dream,” he said. “I just agreed to take advantage of a few opportunities that professors offered me and all of a sudden I was studying in Japan while earning my degrees at U of I.”

U of I professor and mentor Azusa Tojo considers Neirinckx a one-of-a-kind student who always drilled deep into a topic eschewing superficial study.

"His interest in Japan went beyond learning the language and he was committed to fostering positive relationships between U.S. and Japan,” Tojo said. “Shane took a leading role in a class project translating testimonies from World War II survivors that were broadcast by a local Hiroshima TV station. During this project, he spent a significant amount of time making sure the emotional depth of the survivors’ testimonies were conveyed with respect and authenticity.”

His leadership helped the group complete the translation project, and the documentary was later released with its English subtitles in Japan and around the world, she said.

At Hiroshima University, the experience of living and learning with students from a variety of cultures was invigorating.

“I shared a building with a bunch of other international students, roommates, from all over the world Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, all thrown together in a melting pot of a dorm situation,” he said. “I think I was the only American in my building.”

Most people could communicate in English, he said, but hurdles were part of everyday life.

“In terms of Japanese proficiency, it was kind of a toss-up,” Neirinckx said. “I wasn’t super proficient, but I could get around. Meeting a new person was always fine, but you never knew what native language they spoke, so it was kind of chaotic. In the hallways people spoke Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai….”

The year-long experience taught him nuances of Japanese and Asian culture he hadn’t understood as a student in a Moscow classroom.

“The language and culture are intricately entwined,” he said. “Even though we were taught this in our classes, it really must be experienced to understand it.”

The Boren award — valued at $25,000 — provides funding to study less commonly taught languages and cultures in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.

As part of the contract, recipients agree to work for a year in qualifying national security positions such as the Department of Defense or Homeland Security of the U.S. federal government.

He’s weighing options and will apply for work at a federal agency in the months to come after graduation.

“I was always interested in that kind of work, I just didn’t know how to get there,” he said. “The opportunities I accepted at University of Idaho — and there were so many — that I am really grateful for made this happen for me.”