I was born in downtown Osaka, where my route to the public school was walking past the red-light district. I am a first-generation college student. No one in my family spoke any other language other than Japanese: my mother tongue. I was the female child in a traditional family – where females are still prone to female-specific stereotypes.
So, what made me who I am now?
I believed in the power of education – the fact that education would be the key to opening the doors of opportunities. Because I wanted to see the world that neither myself, nor my family and community knew, which drove my passion and curiosity. And, I proactively searched and pursued opportunities I found: from studying in Abu Dhabi, Ghana, Argentina, and China to getting an internship at the United Nations, all of which I would not have been able to imagine when I was a child.
Because of how much I received from education, I began to feel that I did not want to keep it all to myself, but rather share them with others who would also benefit from. That was when I stepped forward to act.
When I was in high school, I created a summer school for Japanese middle school students in Japan to promote active-learning style of education. I wanted to provide a substitute to the passive one-way learning method of the typical Japanese education. At university, I co-directed an organization that held leadership workshops for the girls in the UAE. Upon graduation, I founded the Himeji Girls’ High School Liberal Arts Summer Program, to introduce the glimpses of liberal arts education, as well as advising as the Education Program Lead of Tech Era, an education non-profit located in Ghana.
I currently work on giving back through education pro-bono while having a full -time job. Spending my after-work hours and the weekend for education is not always easy, but I do this to provide greater access to quality education for students and families who need it the most. Through education, people can be empowered, which could potentially lead to the development of the country and its economy.
Education is truly the key to unlocking various opportunities and beyond – and I hope that I can continue to be that locksmith.