Use your surroundings as much as you can

December 7,2018

By Yuna Shimizu (The Fountain staff)

Surfing the internet, a young woman with black hair looks like a busy bee in university. " I want to achieve my goal using my environment maximum", Manami Ochiai, a second-year student majoring in marketing in Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University  (APU) said.

Manami has been active in her community since

she was a high school student. For example, She try to join group which held guidance to junior high school student in her high school.  This her character has not changed

even after entering to APU. She applied to many things in her first semester. However, everything did not go well.

She started to reflect her action or interview herself objectively. She has done reflection before when she feel the interview was not good only. She changed to reflect every time. She compared herself with others and tried to notice what was not good in her interview, and what should be improved. Also, she sometimes asked her parents what she has done and asked to have advised.

After starting reflection, she passed Study Skills Academic Writing (SSAW) Teacher Assistant (TA), program which called Student Exchange Nippon Discovery (SEND) and core member of TED×APU. She likes to start up something with someone, so now she is doing Deputy Representative of Gospel club, Multicultural Workshop (MCW) TA, SEND Peer Assistant (PA). Before starting these things, she was afraid to talk in front of people. But she has changed now.

She always reminds why she starts doing particular things when she lost her motivation. Manami still has about 2 years in APU, she still does not know what she wants to do next.

" I won't be relaxed from next semester," Manami said laugh a bit. She will finish everything that she is doing now at first, and she wants to have time to think about her future more.

Before graduating APU, she wants to be a person who is not shyness with any people and also can talk logically.  Sometimes, she lost what she is saying while she is speaking.

Also, she is planning about a temporary absence from school. She has not decided what she is going to do that particular period yet. She is going to go abroad and do something.

She wants to work abroad after graduate APU, and use skills what she improves in APU life. She does not decide the place where she wants to work, but she likes to stay in one place for a long time.