Chisato Kawamura, 17, lost her father, her home and many of her friends in Iwate, Japan, in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011. In the years since, she has watched students like herself accept help through scholarships and seen families – including her own – become dependent on aid from the Japanese government.

Chisato says she appreciates the help her family has received, but her experience has her aiming for more: contributing to the revitalization of her community. She hopes to give back to her home region using skills she’s acquiring while participating in the Tomodachi Summer 2013 SoftBank Leadership Program in Berkeley this summer.