What has it been like for you looking back on the last year? I assume that for many of you there were moments that, despite the pandemic, were filled with happiness and inspiration. For others, I know that you faced immense challenges. I ask that you reach out to and count on your friends and community to see you through. Before you know it, your sorrows may turn to joys. In times like these, I find myself especially encouraged by the following lyrics from the second verse of the school's Alma Mater, the Juku-ka.
This flame I steward
Is wisdom's light
Illuminating the way forward
Let us put the hardships of the last year behind us, join together, and "go the distance" down the right path.
What types of goals have you all set for yourself in the coming year? In a present which is constantly being reshaped by COVID-19, Keio University must become the engine for society to transition its way out of the pandemic. The onus is on us to pave the way in designing a post-COVID-19 society. It is my hope that in 2022, Keio University, an organization equipped to combine the diverse elements of knowledge at our disposal from the social sciences, humanities, medicine, natural sciences, and engineering, will usher in the society to come.
I am looking forward to all we might accomplish in the coming year.