Why did I join P.A.L. project?

    I joined the P.A.L. project because I thought it would help me develop the cross-cultural abilities I needed to realize my dream of being a bridge between Japan and China, as well as Asia. My parents are Chinese, but I was born in Japan and attended elementary school with other Japanese children. However, when I was 13, I moved to Shanghai and began to establish a Chinese identity. This experience has given me a strong desire to work in multiple Asian countries, including Japan and China, in the future. In order to do so, it will be essential for me to learn about the different cultures of various countries and to become an open-minded person. As globalization advances and the number of people with many national identities increases, I was drawn to an environment like P.A.L., where I can learn about the different lifestyles and cultures of many Asian countries from the locals. Furthermore, P.A.L. was very appealing since it provided a chance to communicate with Indonesians. When I was studying at an international school in Shanghai, I had a lot of opportunities to interact with students from China, Korea, and the US. However, I've only had a few opportunities to communicate with people from Southeast Asia. As P.A.L. actively held events with them, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to expand my open-mindedness and exchange ideas with people from various cultural backgrounds.
    
    Furthermore, I believed it would be an excellent opportunity to strengthen my independence, problem-solving abilities, and communication abilities, all of which are critical for a global leader. I was the captain of the soccer team in high school and had experience managing people from all backgrounds. On and off the field, I mostly concentrated on strengthening team unity by enhancing interaction between team members and coaches. To be more detailed, I planned weekly meetings for team members, and dinner parties with coaches after our monthly tournaments. As a result, we were able to clarify each person's role in the team and create an environment in which all team members could act on their own initiative. After I entered Keio University, I have not been able to put myself in an environment that fosters leadership. As the P.A.L. program, which stands for "promoting Asian leadership," focuses on encouraging global leadership, I believed it would be a great opportunity for me to enhance various leadership skills.