A Place to Celebrate 'Awareness and Transformation' Rather Than Just Achievements: Reflections on the Mid-Term Presentation

Hello. I am Kanematsu, the president of Satonova University.

The other day, our Satonova students scattered across their regional study sites gathered online for our first-semester mid-term presentation. When running Satonova University, there are

twists and turns, ups and downs. The first semester, in particular, is a season when many students step into new regions.

When the premises they held until now no longer apply, and they compare themselves to others who have started moving ahead, combined with the timing of the rainy season, it is not uncommon for students to feel stuck. One first-year student, caught in a loop of self-denial, confided,

'I couldn't do anything for about a week.'

Even so, before summer vacation, the resilience to return at their own pace is a mysterious part of Satonova and, I believe, the true potential of our students. And the mid-term presentation held during our online lectures is a place to re-examine and find meaning in that tumultuous first semester.

If the year-end presentation is about a year's worth of accomplishment, the mid-term presentation is about sharing the process itself. While things are still a work in progress, we bring our respective awareness and transformations to share and celebrate together. Those who gather are classmates, people who have supported us in the regions, and parents—only those who know the 'before' and 'after.' After the presentations, many Satonova students

shed tears while exchanging message cards, acting as both givers and receivers of gratitude. One second-year student, who last year chewed on the loneliness of eating meals alone, said this year,

'Happiness is having friends to eat with,' and another second-year student, who had moved on from 'those days of reading from a script,' was now able to speak about the space in their heart in their own words.

By the fourth year, that sense of fulfillment crystallizes into their career paths. One student realized, 'I am someone who wants to value places where we can share our thoughts,' and aspired to manage regional study programs, while another student, wanting to 'gain more confidence in the process I have walked,' is daring to take on a graduation thesis at a university of practice.

Every student is standing in a completely different place than they were a year ago, with a slightly more mature expression. Thinking of that, the struggles the first-year students are facing now are surely just for this moment. I believe they are becoming a solid foundation for a year from now.

Please look forward to their future.

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