I was born in the Republic of South Africa, and lived there until I was ten, after which I moved to Tokyo. My father is South African and my mother Japanese. Both were part of the movement to abolish apartheid (the political system of racial segregation) and build a democratic society, and were involved in activities including education in poor areas. I was brought up in post-democratization South Africa, and made many friends of different races in free and vibrant schools and social settings.
 For two months before my high school graduation, I received a scholarship from the Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Young Ambassador Program and was involved in setting up a library at a South African elementary school as well as sporting activities and caring for street children. After graduating from high school, I took a gap year and gained experience in marketing and planning by means of paid internships at two companies. Having decided that for my university education I wanted to move away from Tokyo in order to research and practice social development and management through local-global integration in a regional city, I entered Okayama University.
 At the University of Edinburgh, where I studied during my sophomore year, I took a wide variety of courses in addition to studying the economies of emerging nations with a focus on economics and marketing, with the aim of specializing in the study of local marketing. I also took an active part in extracurricular activities such as debates. In Edinburgh, things were not always easy: the educational level was high so it was sometimes hard to follow the lectures, and cultural differences were also confusing. However, my life improved when I held study groups with friends whom I had met by being active in student societies and attending tutorials (small-group study sessions), and through encountering Scottish and European art. I spent Christmas 2019 in the Netherlands with friends. In the morning we went to church, at lunchtime we went around the Van Gogh Museum, and then we all ate together at a film house, in a day that will live in my memory. These friends were a very diverse group: from my philosophy-loving friend I learned about Hegel, and from my film-loving friend I learned about the Soviet film director Tarkovsky. I am currently working to produce a magazine together with my poetry-loving friend. Thanks to the people who befriended me in Edinburgh, I had an extremely worthwhile experience of studying overseas.
 After returning to Japan, while conducting research on art and residents’ participation through local-global integration, I was given the chance to take part as a research assistant in a joint research project between Okayama University and Benesse Holdings, studying “well-being” in the communities and residents of islands in the Seto Inland Sea. At Benesse Art Site Naoshima, the general term for the various activities related to contemporary art that are spreading across the isolated islands in the Seto Inland Sea, the history, culture, and other aspects of these islands are conveyed through works of art. I learned that the entire process up to the completion of these art sites is conscious of collaboration with the community. Participating in this joint research project has made me want to engage in activities that make the most of the potential of art in future.
 After going through a selection process that included giving a presentation focusing on my experience in this joint research project and being interviewed, in July 2021 I was chosen as an Okayama University delegate to the One Young World (OYW) 2021 summit, which was organized in Germany and held online. At OYW, I heard speeches from leaders of countries around the world and spoke with young people engaged in a variety of projects, which I found highly stimulating. I also gained practical ideas for the future concerning the potential of the art world, such as collaborations with other fields. By attending OYW, I was able to learn from and debate with young people from 190 countries worldwide in what was an irreplaceable experience.
 A word that is special to the people of South Africa is ubuntu, meaning “a person becomes a person through other people.” My experience and studies so far have been achieved thanks to the local communities and the people who have given me chances. In future, I want to continue to value such links between people and to contribute to society with a spirit of curiosity and an inquiring mind.

As of January 2022