The Global Career Course was held at lunch for the first time in a long time. Students gathered in the venue where autumn winds were blowing through occasionally.
Tomomi Sekioka was introduced as a lecturer, who is working as a public relations officer at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
She talked about her work at the IMF and the experiences and she had there.
Soon after the introduction from the moderator, Ms.Sekioka grabbed the students’ attention by the atmosphere she created. First, she explained what kind of institution the IMF is, with its “three roles”.
Students who have heard couple stories of people who are working in international organizations so far understood quickly that the IMF is playing an important role for the international economy. They were paying close attention to her words.
In the IMF, which promotes the stability and economic improvement of international currencies, there are many jobs in developing countries, mainly in Asia. Ms. Sekioka often came across cultural gaps.
For example, in Vanuatu, where she went to hold an international conference, the local media rejected an interview because they were not interested in the IMF. In addition, being late for the meetings was common. Sometimes press conferences she arranged were canceled. Moreover, there were common sense mistakes, such as posting material provided by the IMF to their newspaper even though it may be confidential.
“But that is not to say that developed countries ways of doing things is the only way. They have their own ways of doing things. It is not going to work if you are forcing people to follow your way from above without knowing about the nuances of each country.”
Also, while introducing a photograph, she showed how international organizations are considering including various people rather than follow the economic reality of male dominance. She gave examples where gender, region, age, etc. were balanced. She spoke about needing diversity.
Then, Ms. Sekioka asked the students; “What are overseas countries for Americans?” “What are overseas countries for Japanese people?”
She noticed that the goal of the term “global” did not to have a universal understanding but meant different things to different people.
Also, she told a story about the perspective of an international institution “thinking about what is best for 189 member countries” From this story the students were able to become more aware of what is important about thinking about diversity.
“From here I will tell you all a little bit about my career, and I hope that some of you who are thinking about your future will feel that “there are opportunities like these”.”
Ms. Sekioka explained her background while recounting her life story on the screen. She had positive experiences in studying abroad, dropping out, finding employment, going to college, getting an internship, going to graduate school, and choosing paths for herself on her own.
“There is no set rule to do something at a specific age. There are people whose are 22 and not going to college overseas. I want you to know that there are alternatives for every single person.” Her message was powerful and spread easily among the students.
Finally, a college student currently working as an intern at the IMF spoke about a practical activity he is working on. It was a link between the students and future student not far away.
The theme “Diversity” present throughout the lecture. The students took stock of the steps needed to be made to build toward the future and learned of the significance of acknowledging and understanding the “differences” encountered in various phases, such as culture and customs, the place and position of which they belong.
