Expand your horizons. You'll find your potential.

Ever since I first learned about genes in a high school class, I have been fascinated by them.

I wanted to study genes in the future, and to do so, I wanted to receive the highest level of education,

so I broadened my search nationwide to choose a university.

There are many attractive universities across the country, but when you live in a regional area,

it's hard to get that kind of information. But don't you think that's a waste?

Why not gather more information about your future options?

As of November 2021

I came from Kagoshima to enroll in the Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy. My interest lies more in the field of biology than in pharmacology, and I have been fascinated by the mystery of genes ever since I first learned about them. I am amazed that all the information in the human body can be coded by the simple principle of combining just four bases, and I have great respect for the immense time and effort researchers have dedicated to unraveling this principle. Wanting to be involved in the study of genes, which continue to fascinate me, I chose the Keio Faculty of Pharmacy from among various options.

If I had to sum up why I chose the Keio Faculty of Pharmacy in one word, it would be its tradition and track record. I thought that to receive the highest level of education in my desired field of research, it would be best to go to a university that has produced many outstanding graduates. Keio was a perfect fit for that condition, and moreover, the campus I saw in the brochure was very beautiful and made a great impression on me. I felt I could picture myself attending and studying there.

High school students don't have a wealth of information sources. While you should be able to get reliable information from your school and teachers, your feelings can also be swayed by the words of those close to you, like friends and upperclassmen. Compared to Tokyo, regional areas have fewer universities, and information tends to be biased toward a limited number of them. Moreover, if you're in Kyushu or Hokkaido, you can't easily go to an open campus event at a Tokyo university, so it's easy to feel like giving up on obtaining on-the-ground information like the words of teachers and upperclassmen, the campus atmosphere, and the surrounding environment. But I think that's a waste. Nowadays, you can gather a lot of information on the internet. For example, you can watch videos to get a feel for the campus atmosphere, and you can read the words of teachers and upperclassmen. To expand your future possibilities, I encourage you to explore information about as many universities as possible and increase your options for where you might want to attend.

Living alone in Tokyo, I don't have any particular chores I'm bad at, but having to do everything by myself is, as you'd expect, tough. I hardly helped out at all while I was living at home, so I have the utmost respect for my parents. When I first tried cooking with a knife after moving to Tokyo, I cut my finger and had to call my mom in a panic. However, one day I realized that cooking while following a recipe is "like an experiment," and since then, I think I've improved quickly, if I do say so myself. Every step in a recipe has a reason, and it can all be explained by theory. Since I've gotten reasonably good at handling a knife, I wanted to put this skill to use, so I'm now working part-time at a restaurant. I also have opportunities to interact with customers, which I'm sure will be beneficial for me. In high school, my days were spent just studying with people who grew up in similar environments. It was meaningful, but that alone narrows your perspective. All sorts of people come to my part-time job, and I can talk with them about various things. It may seem trivial, but it's fun, and I think it's a valuable experience.

When it came time to choose a laboratory, I realized I had a big question: "Am I cut out for research?" I'm used to doing assigned tasks, but with research, you have to discover something new that no one has found yet. Could I really do something like that? ... After much thought, the answer I arrived at was "to try my hand at cancer research."

Cancer is a disease caused by changes that occur in genes. I thought that even if I were to fail badly or struggle to get results, if I could tell myself, "I'm researching a difficult disease, so it must be helping many people," I might be able to maintain my motivation. It might be a self-centered way of thinking, but with that policy in mind, I chose Professor Koji Hase's Laboratory of Biochemistry.

The Laboratory of Biochemistry is proactive in collaborating with external institutions, and one of its external partners was the Department of Pathophysiology at the Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. I decided on it because I thought this environment would allow me to fully engage in research using genes, which I love. I consulted with the head of the laboratory, Professor Hase, and my advisor, Professor Takeshi Sugai, and both of them encouraged me, saying it would surely be a source of strength for me. Leaving the campus where my professors and friends are is a little nerve-wracking, but I decided to take a step forward for my own challenge. That's how my research began, and now I'm enjoying it. I sometimes fail, but I believe there is value in failure itself. There are new things you only understand after you fail. I find it rewarding to learn new things every day in this way.