1) What are your fondest memories of Seisen International School?

Given that I was in Seisen for ten years, one can imagine I have many many memories – if I were to start listing them, I would end up writing a whole novel! However, if I were to select the fondest memories that have influenced me the most during my time at Seisen and to this day as an adult, I would pick out two.

First, my two years in ESL with Ms. Mitsui. I remember when I first arrived in Seisen, I couldn’t speak or read a single word of English. I was often lost and confused, especially as I had just moved from Strasbourg (France) to Tokyo, and everything was new to me. My place of solace would be the walls of Ms. Mitsui’s classroom, where every day, I would practice spelling and tenses, read short stories, and absorb new vocabulary. Slowly but surely, I began to formulate my own sentences that enabled me to not only express myself in English when engaging with my peers and teachers, but also to put my ideas into various forms of writing, from fictional stories and poetry to book reports and essays. I am and will forever be grateful to Ms. Mitsui and the safe space she offered me as a young elementary school student – without her unrelenting patience and kindness, my English abilities would not be as solid as they are today, and I most certainly would not have the confidence to do the various work I am doing today – which involves a lot of writing and talking!

Second, if anyone remembers me, I loved sports and was involved in multiple sports activities throughout my middle and high school days. Whilst I remember all the practices, my fondest memories are the match days where parents and students alike would be selling baked goods at the bake sales, cheering on the bleachers during both home and away games. This memory is particularly vivid for the Cross-Country (XC) races in Tama Hills, where they would be at the start of the race, right before Killer Hill, at the Killer Hill, and at the finish line. These were really the moments when you felt like you were truly experiencing and living the Seisen spirit which is an infectious and unforgettable feeling.

2) How did your education at Seisen influence your career path?

I wouldn’t say my education at Seisen influenced me to pursue a specific career path per se, but it did influence me by providing me with various tools that I took with me post high school. These tools ultimately influenced the way I approach both my private and professional life.

For example, eight years of XC taught me to be tough and resilient, to constantly challenge myself, to never give up. Most importantly, it taught me to not see the whole hill, but to only see the next step. What does this mean? It means the hill doesn’t look that long and steep anymore. What does this mean in the real world? It means that your pile of tasks appears more manageable. This has proven to be an incredibly crucial lesson in life. Particularly in my professional life, I encounter various occasions where I feel overwhelmed. But the lesson I learned from XC always grounds me as I tell myself, almost like a mantra, “One step at a time.”

Furthermore, from engaging in sports and music to leading the Boosters group and co-leading the Student Association, I was the type who was engaged in multiple extracurricular activities simultaneously. Looking back, I know I would be lying if I said was doing all these things only because I genuinely enjoyed doing them – many of us were engaging in these activities to polish up our CV for universities because that’s how a meritocratic society functions: we must acquire as many qualities as possible that make us employable or admittable to universities.

It’s not only much later in my adult life that I began to understand the true value of engaging in various activities, be it professionally or privately (e.g., at the level of hobbies). As we get older, we grow to stick to one community or one expertise, or in other words, “stay in our silos”. But this limits us because we only see one aspect of the world. Exposing ourselves to different worlds and engaging across these different worlds is where the real living begins – we engage with people of different backgrounds and who think differently from us, and that leads us to reflect upon ourselves. And self-reflection is when we start growing as human beings.

Ultimately, the various extracurricular activities Seisen provided me with, without me knowing, was teaching me to see the importance and value of embedding oneself in different worlds, and to find comfort in these multiple settings. And that’s exactly what I am doing, ten years after graduation: I hold two jobs simultaneously, am embedded in different contexts, constantly engaging in new activities and meeting new people, and learning from everything and everyone.

3) What life advice would you give current students?

Funnily enough, the last few years, I had started writing down advice for myself that I wish I had received earlier on in my life. Or, in other words, advice I wish adults – and especially teachers – had told me when I was a student. I saw some other alumni have already touched upon some great life advice, so below are just a few from my list which I hope will complement theirs:

Be curious – ask a lot of questions: There is no such thing as a “a silly question”. In fact, there is no such thing as a right or wrong question or answer when it comes to knowledge. Knowledge is a social construct that is constantly changing with time. The reason so many issues exist today – amongst others, sexism, racism, and mental health issues – is because many of these issues have not been properly addressed, either because of a lack of critical thinking, or because of existing power structures and systems of oppression that force us to remain quiet. The first step of gaining knowledge is asking questions, a lot of questions. And don’t ever think adults know better than you. Because we don’t. We are also constantly learning, just as you are. So don’t be afraid to ask us questions, because we have a lot of questions too, and there is nothing more beautiful than engaging on various world issues together.

Be kind to others: You can be good at what you do – studying, playing an instrument or sport, you name it. You can go to a world renown university, company or organization and excel in your commitments. But what will really get you far in life are the way you treat others. The thing is, people may remember you for a great skill of yours, but they will remember you longer for how you made them feel. Value your time with your friends, family members, everyone in your life that you care about. Always remember, there is more to life than just good grades and status.

Be kind to yourself: Start taking care of yourself, or what some people say, “Make yourself self-care time.” I know that especially in middle and high school when you have so many things to do, from studying to engaging in extracurricular activities, making time for yourself seems like something unthinkable. That’s what I thought too until very recently. The thing is, there is nothing in this world that should deprive us of our physical and mental wellbeing. By charging through life without putting ourselves first, we let ourselves be taken advantage at work and by social obligations. Before we know it, we’re burned out or feel miserable. The only person who is responsible for your happiness is you. Start learning to say “no” to people and things when you are tired. If you are exhausted and can’t focus on your studies or activities, tell your teachers and coaches. And don’t let anyone make you feel incompetent, “weak”, or like a party pooper for prioritizing your own time. If you start doing these things now, you will be better equipped when you enter the professional world where you have to draw certain boundaries to make it through in one piece.

Take baby steps: You may be feeling lost right now. Or you may feel like you’re drowning with all your class assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities. That’s completely okay. Everyone feels that way at one point or multiple points in their lives. You know how adults appear as if they have their life together? Most of it is just acting or make-believe. Remember I told you earlier about what I learned from XC? Yep. When you feel down, lost, overwhelmed or just like drowning, think, “Baby steps.” Just take one step at a time every day. A walk up a steep hill doesn’t look that steep if you just focus on the next step you take.

And if you have a bad day, sleep, and tomorrow is a new day. It sounds cliché and all, but trust me, at the end of the day, everything will be okay