HUNTINGTON -- When 34-year-old Taeko Matsumoto arrived in Huntington in 2002, she spoke very little English. She is now one of a few new graduate nursing hires at Cabell Huntington Hospital, and staff there say she is one of the best.

"It takes a lot of passion and commitment to be a nurse, and she even went above and beyond that," said Charles Shumaker, interim media/community relations manager for the hospital.

Matsumoto was a registered nurse in Japan before coming to the United States. She said she came here to get the most up-to-date nursing education. She chose West Virginia because she wanted to immerse herself in a culture where little or no Japanese was spoken.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I didn't see people from my country," she said.

Matsumoto studied English as a Second Language at Marshall University, then began her undergraduate nursing program there. She graduates from the Marshall program on Saturday, along with approximately 70 other students. She starts as a graduate nurse at CHH in mid-June, and previously completed clinical work at the hospital.

Nurse Manager Marsha Stark said she was very impressed with Matsumoto and looks forward to working with her on the post-surgical floor.

"She's just so good with the patients. That's what I'm looking for on my unit," Stark said. "She was the first one I chose, and I'm very picky."

Matsumoto said she was initially concerned about not only speech, but communication skills in general. She said she worried she and patients may not always understand each other because of cultural differences. She realized, though, that the caring nature of nurses and the needs of patients in both countries are the same.

"We share the same goal," she said.

Stark said Matsumoto's commitment to learning was clear, as she traveled across the ocean to learn a new language and attend school. She said her caring spirit is also evident in the way she talks about her patients.

"She just has such a good heart," Stark said.