For the 20th Global career course this year, we welcomed Ms. Riho Saisho, a former student now with Department of literature at Tamagawa University. The title of her speech was “My road towards working at the United Nations” she talked about her experiences during a period studying abroad in Australia and at an internship at UNWTO.
“I was interested in working outside of Japan but for me, as a high school student, it felt unrealistic.”
Although currently she is very active trying to make her dream come true, at that time, she did not have much confidence and never thought she would work in such international environment.
The turning point for her was her experience studying abroad in Australia during her sophomore year.
It was her first time living away from her family which let her to interact with many people and to recognize various differing points of view. At first, she used to doubt herself but soon she was able to accept herself as she is. After her return to Japan, she looked back her last two years and strongly felt “I CAN do it” with confidence. Then she was able to try things that she was interested in.
After gaining confidence, she became very active and in her junior year, she applied for an internship at the United Nations World Tourism Organization which was very hard to get accepted to as it had “only one space for Japan.” She succeeded in getting that one chair.
“When you create a limit yourself, you might give up on things that could possibly try. Therefore, you should not set limits for yourself.”
While speaking with gentle tone, she certainly sent out powerful messages to the high school students.
During the internship in Madrid, Spain, she worked on planning tourism development, book editing, proofreading, and worked in publishing which also included job that were her direct responsibility. Her words, “No matter how small the project is, the important thing is to be responsible with your time and meet the deadline,” This wisdom was obtained by her own experiences.
Ms. Saisho is now working on a project “Embassy Academy” and her graduate thesis. Her dream is “to be involved in the development of developing countries and regions though tourism.”
She thought about “happiness” in Tanzania where she visited for her thesis interview. She also has discussions about foreign affairs in English, building leadership and other things at the same time. As listed, she always is learning something from her experiences.
“‘Chances lie in challenges.’ To grab a chance, please take the very first step which is a challenge. This would be my motto and I will keep challenging myself.”
In the Q&A session, many questions were asked such as, “What are things we should do during high school life?” “Is there anything to keep in mind when you try to communicate well with others?”
The students felt familiar with the past graduate and were listening to her as they thought about their own future. They gained some hints from her positive and optimistic attitude to get closer and take a step further toward their dreams.
