Deputy Chief of Mission Kurt Tong visit Takata High School for a Roundtable with TOMODACHI Alumni
On June 17, 2014, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Kurt Tong, with his wife Dr. Mika Marumoto, made his inaugural visit to Takata High School, currently relocated to Ofunato, Iwate where he and the U.S. delegations invested much of their time supporting the recovery and spirit of hope after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. He was greeted by Principal Yokota and his staff, and spoke with ten high school students which included TOMODACHI alumni.
“Many people think that because our town was the hardest hit in Iwate Prefecture and our school experienced the highest casualties, our students would be walking around campus depressed, shrouded in gloom. But our students are energetic, enthusiastic children,” Principal Yokota said with pride.
Of the ten students from Takata High School, two students had participated in TOMODACHI programs, and this July, two high school juniors will go to U.C. Berkeley in California on the TOMODACHI Summer 2014 Softbank Leadership Program. Four of the students had interacted with American students from Del Norte High School in February 2014, when the TOMODACHI-supported students on the TOMODACHI-Del Norte High School 2014 Delegation to Rikuzentakata from Crescent City, California had visited Takata High School to return a fishing boat that took two years to cross the ocean and land on their shore.
During the conversation with Mr. Tong and Dr. Marumoto, the students asked questions such as who proposed marriage first, how Mr. Tong studied and learned Japanese, what sports team and television show he enjoys. One student who engaged with the Del Norte students this past winter gave Mr. Tong – a baseball fan – a signed school baseball after his comment. With Dr. Marumoto at his side, the conversation was lively and often humorous. Students also asked what attracted him to Japan, as well as his role as a Deputy Chief of Mission. Near the end, Mr. Tong asked one final question: their dreams for the future.
“Through my [TOMODACHI] exchange experience, I realized how important it is to engage with different people, to learn more about not only the other countries but my own, and bring that knowledge back to my hometown,” one TOMODACHI alumna explained. “I want to do something good for our people who lost so much and continue to endure hardships.”
Each student had a keen interest in foreigners’ perspectives of Japan and deeply rooted aspirations to bring back to their hometown an expanded understanding and experience of the global world. In March 2015, they return to a newly built school in Rikuzentakata with these hopes and dreams. TOMODACHI is proud to be part of this tight community of students and educators who continue to support one another to create a brighter future.
