Voices
TOMODACHI Alumni Highlight: Hisashi Kojima, from TOMODACHI Next Generation Summit 2025
This month’s alumni highlight features Hisashi Kojima, one of six speakers at the TOMO Voice Speech Contest during the Next Generation Summit 2025. Hisashi is an alumnus of the TOMODACHI Microsoft iLEAP Social Innovation and Leadership Program 2017. ...more
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Chiaki Nakawatari
Chiaki Nakawatari is a 2024 TOMODACHI Amway Japan Foundation Tohoku Future Leader Program alumna. She is currently a third-year student at Ofunato High School in Iwate Prefecture. As the student council president, she has led several initiatives, inc...more
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Arianna Santiago
Arianna Santiago is the 2024-2026 TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Representative of the California Region based in Laguna Niguel, California. She is an alumnus of the Daiwa House 2016 Student Leadership Conference in Dallas, where she graduated from the So...more
TOMODACHI Initiative Intern: Ayano Hirose’s Experience
Ayano Hirose, a TOMODACHI Initiative (TOMODACHI) intern since May 2023, has deepened her interests and career direction through encounters with diverse individuals through TOMODACHI and U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) programs. She says her interest in Jap...more
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Amelia Stastney
Amelia Stastney is a clean energy policy professional with a focus on advancing the adoption of green hydrogen and e-Fuels in the U.S. and internationally. At StormFisher Hydrogen Ltd., she plays a key role in shaping strategic initiatives around e-...more
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Hikaru Sato
For April’s Alumni Highlight we highlighted Hikaru Sato, who is an alumnus of the TOMODACHI Coca-Cola Educational Homestay Program. The program provides high school students affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011 with the oppor...more
TOMODACHI Alumni Highlight: Shotaro Abe, from TOMODACHI Next Generation Summit 2024
This month’s alumni highlight features Shotaro Abe, who delivered an inspiring speech at TOMODACHI Next Generation Summit 2024. Shotaro is an alumnus of the TOMODACHI Boeing Entrepreneurship Seminar, and he is currently a student at Waseda University...more
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Mizuki Sakai
In this interview, we spoke with Mizuki Sakai, a third-year student majoring in International Liberal Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Mizuki is an alumni of the TOMODACHI – U.S. Embassy Go for Gold Sports Leadership Program, and was&he...more
