Finding Hope: A High Schooler's Story of Cultures
2024 Kizuna’s Leadership in Action Program
2024 High School Diplomats United States Program
What would you say when I ask you to describe the world today?
Perhaps you’d talk about the increasingly modern and advanced society that we live in, constantly developing new technology and innovations. Or maybe you’d talk about an increasingly tense society, as our world is plagued with political tensions between nations.
I would’ve given you this response a year ago: “I see a world that is becoming increasingly violent, a world that is being overtaken by hatred, and a world that is losing humanity.”
Today, I give you this response: “I picture a world filled with hope.”
My name is Vincent Yang, and I am a current senior attending Northwood High School. Over the past few weeks, I have been overwhelmed with disbelief that senior year is already upon me, but as I’ve taken time to self-reflect, I have found that the past year has been truly life-changing, as my worldview has shifted.
With Kizuna, I participated in the Leadership in Action (LiA) program, which led me to learn about the Japanese and Japanese American concentration camps during WWII not just from websites and books, but from the voices of those who were affected. Despite the atrocities that they had to endure, they took it upon themselves to spread hope. Their stories told the history of a group of resilient people and their infectious ability to find hope even in the most desperate situations. This influenced me to think about our world today through a different lens. There are significant issues in our world, but we must not despair over it. We must find hope within these issues. Hope to change our world for the better. LiA taught me the importance of dialogue, and how we must learn about other cultures, their people, and their history to fight for a more inclusive world.
Additionally, one of the most valuable experiences that every LiA participant received was that each team of 4-5 teens focused on a unique issue and was given a stipend to create group passion projects. Although it may sound cheesy, the opportunity to work with a team of other passionate individuals who became some of my best friends at the end of the program was such a great opportunity to not only branch out, but also to learn how to work together. The truth is there are going to be disputes and arguments. There are going to be times when the group feels like it’s being divided in two. However, what’s most important is moving past these challenges as a team and utilizing the invaluable time at JANM to the fullest extent.
Having access to the Kizuna network of incredible Asian American mentors was one of my favorite parts of being in the LiA program. I met people like Mr. Mike Murase, who was not only an activist who did incredible things to fight for Asian American and other ethnic groups’ representation and rights, but he also offered valuable insight into his experiences with promoting Asian American identity and cultures at UCLA, a movement that is still powerful on UCLA’s campus today. Mr. Murase is only one out of the many extraordinary community leaders that Kizuna invites to their LiA program — a shared trait between all of the activists that speak at LiA is that they’re genuinely passionate about mentoring to the next generation of leaders who care about cultural diversity and representation.
“Through the Eyes of a Japanese-American” by 2024 LiA Racial Justice Group: Vincent Yang, Keilah Lim, Reina Yee, Emiko Essmiller, & Sophia Hyung
I took these skills from LiA and attended the High School Diplomats (HSD) program this summer, a free cultural exchange program that brings 20 students from across America and Japan to the University of Virginia’s campus. This program not only gave me an experience that opened my heart and mind to other cultures, but more importantly, gave me a family of 20 Japanese brothers and sisters, ranging from the southern prefecture of Nagasaki to the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
At HSD, the focal point is the community. We spend 10 days together, and while that sounds like a long time, it really does pass by in just a blink of an eye (trust me, I thought this line was cheesy at first too). We participated in American cultural events days like Independence Day or Halloween, but we also introduced Japanese students to various American cultural traditions, like going to prom and dance parties. In exchange, the Japanese students hosted a Japanese cultural festival, introducing us to their traditions and games like Kendo, Kyudo, making Matcha, Japanese ink calligraphy, and many others. However, our time at UVA was much more than just these fun events. We were teachers and students, as not only did we teach Japanese students about American social issues, regional characteristics, education, and pop culture in presentations, but we also became students as the Japanese students taught us about the same topics in Japan. Additionally, we also engaged in diplomat talks, which were opportunities for us to learn about issues that were more personal to us. Whether it is the prevalence of mental health support, our thoughts on the futures of our nations, or which global issues are most important to us, we learned how to navigate through cultural differences to imagine solutions.
However, I found the time that I had to interact with my Japanese roommate to be the most engaging. For lack of better words, it seemed like I was finding a brother across the world. He pushed me to be a better version of myself, challenging me to be more brave, allowing me to be vulnerable, and inspiring me to be more honest with myself about my passions. Each HSD experience is vastly different, and I truly believe that it is one of the few programs out there that allows participants to embrace their true selves as they are offered a blank slate for us.
Every HSD alumni learns one lesson: a lesson about hope. Hope that people will continue to fight to share their cultures. Hope that people will continue to seek out opportunities to build bonds with others. Hope that people will not only see the world for its current state but have hope for what the world could be if they take initiative. Hope that our world, because of its imperfections, is worth fighting for.
These two programs gave me a taste of the interconnectedness of cultures. LiA taught me what it takes to create effective change through groups, and HSD taught me the importance of self-reflection, each playing a vital role in shaping me into who I am today. Fighting for our cultures does not end with ourselves achieving the goal that we set out to accomplish. In the path that we take to understand, appreciate, and love each other in our complex world, we slowly realize that it was never about fighting for just our own culture. It’s about inspiring others to realize that there are flaws in our world, which gives it beauty. It’s about helping others see past a tinted lens, which gives us hope. It’s about realizing that every single person has a culture that they can fight for, a culture that they have to fight for.
I highly recommend any current high school sophomores or juniors take the initiative to apply to the HSD program, a program that truly offered me a week that changes a lifetime, and to Kizuna’s LiA program, which provided me with foundational skills and a sense of curiosity that allowed me to be successful at HSD. Both of the application links are posted below.
HSD’s 2025 application opened on October 1st (closes January 15, 2025), and it is recommended that interested applicants email the director, Celine Zapolski (celinezapolski@highschooldiplomats.com) beforehand and talk about this article to show interest and get more information about the program. Application link: https://www.highschooldiplomats.com
Kizuna Leadership in Action’s application is currently open and will close on December 2, 2024. Application link: https://gokizuna.org/leadership-in-action
Vincent Yang with his 2024 LiA group mates: Emiko Essmiller, Sophia Hyung, Keilah Lim, & Reina Yee
2024 High School Diplomats United States Program
