[No. 208] Marika Yoneoka (née Gunji)

Thank you very much for giving me this valuable opportunity to contribute to the Keio University Alumni Relay.

Although my time at the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology was a short four years, looking back, it was an undeniably rich period, and it is no exaggeration to say that it was a major turning point in my life.

I turn 40 this year, which means I've reached the (near?) halfway point of my life. My late teens and early twenties at Keio were a sensitive time, filled with inspiration from those around me, internal conflicts, and hopes for the future. I don't have the slightest desire to go back to those days, but I would like to take a moment to reflect on them.

The main reason I chose to enter the Faculty of Science and Technology was that after my time as a high school student and a *rōnin* (a student studying for university entrance exams after failing the first time), I still hadn't decided what I wanted to study in the future. The ability to choose my field of study from different academic disciplines (*gakumon*) in my first year was the deciding factor. Sure enough, shortly after enrolling, I found myself interested in a different field from the one I initially entered (biology and chemistry), specifically physics, and even more specifically, semiconductor physics. Writing this might make it sound like I regret my initial choice, but my decision to study semiconductor physics led me to meet Professor Kohei M. Itoh, and it made my dream of studying abroad—a dream I had been nurturing since elementary school—come true. For me, it was a dreamlike passage.

Here, I'd like to go back even further and talk about why I wanted to study abroad since I was in elementary school. My parents worked for an airline, and after I was born, I was able to live in various countries and regions due to my father's job transfers. People often said it must be difficult for a child who moves frequently with parents on constant transfers, as it's hard to make lasting friends. However, because we moved every two to three years—to Kumamoto, Italy, Chiba, Boston, and Osaka—I naturally learned to adapt my social skills. Of course, I was also forced to train myself to learn languages in short periods. I especially remember my early elementary school years in Boston. At that time, there were still few Asians in Boston, and I keenly felt the importance of diversity. My father was studying at a business school on a company scholarship, so I had the opportunity to visit Cambridge, a truly academic city. Even as a child, I began to dream of studying in a place like that in the future. After returning to Japan, I did my best to maintain my English ability, doing daily dictation (a study method of writing down spoken text as it is being dictated) with English conversation radio programs—an effort even an elementary school student could make. (Despite this, my English skills deteriorated significantly, and during my first year of graduate school, I was nearly crushed just a few months after arriving in the US by a professor's semiconductor processing class, where he spoke as fluently as water from a tap.)

After that, I attended a junior high and high school with a liberal atmosphere where I could grow freely. However, living in Japanese society, I still felt the presence of unwritten rules that did not embrace diversity, which strengthened my desire to study and live in the United States. After entering Keio University, I told Professor Itoh of my desire to study abroad, and he accepted me into his laboratory. I then began to act with an eye toward pursuing a graduate degree abroad. Professor Itoh himself had experience, and many senior students from the Ito Lab had already gone on to study at graduate schools abroad. I was able to prepare in a perfect environment, receiving advice from them and even making impromptu visits to graduate schools in the US. When I finally received my acceptance letter from my desired graduate school, it was an achievement I could never claim to have accomplished on my own. It was an acceptance won through the immense cooperation and help of those around me, and I am deeply grateful for their kindness. Also, during my university years, I was so focused on studying abroad for graduate school that I often skipped club activities and gatherings with friends from my department. I must have been quite an unlikable person, and I have nothing but gratitude for my university friends who have not abandoned me and still keep in touch.

After enrolling in the Materials Science and Engineering department at Stanford's graduate school, I had to manage on my own. I experienced the baptism by fire with English that I mentioned earlier, and I also had to compete academically with top students from all over the world. I studied so hard that I literally sacrificed sleep. Fortunately, I managed to get through it with the mathematical skills and the ability to persevere and work systematically that I had cultivated through my education in Japan. Five and a half years later, I was able to earn my PhD.

After graduation, I joined SanDisk, a flash memory company. Along the way, I became interested in another industry and changed jobs, but I have now returned to SanDisk (which was acquired by Western Digital) and work as a semiconductor process engineer. Although this area is called Silicon Valley, there are now very few factories that actually manufacture semiconductor products. SanDisk's manufacturing is done at the Yokkaichi plant owned by Kioxia (formerly Toshiba). Here, my work is mainly focused on program management and R&D, but being in a job where I can contribute, even in a small way, to Japan's semiconductor industry is helping me realize a part of my other major goal: to be a bridge between Japan and the rest of the world.

In my daily life, I married my husband, whom I met in graduate school, and we had a daughter. I have now been living in California for 17 years. I still face many challenges and setbacks in both my personal and professional life, and I wonder when I will truly reach the "age of no doubt." However, I hope to enjoy and overcome the difficulties that lie ahead. I also enjoy the different perspectives that come with each stage of life. In my 20s, I could charge ahead recklessly. In my 30s, I began to recognize the limits of my own capacity. I've made many mistakes and experienced many setbacks, and I've caused a great deal of trouble for others. But embracing all of that, I have now entered my 40s. What kind of world awaits me? If I have another opportunity, I would be happy to report back to you all in a few decades.

Finally, I'm not sure if this will be of any help to the prospective students and current university students reading this, but I hope you will see it as just one example of the kind of life an alumna can lead. If I may offer a piece of unsolicited advice, it is this: in your teens and twenties, "don't build your own walls." These walls can be interpreted in many ways—"walls between yourself and others," "walls limiting your own potential," or "walls of difficulty"—but I feel it is a great waste to place shackles on yourself. Of course, you may fail by being overconfident, but I believe the day will come when you can look back on that as part of the spice of life. Therefore, I hope you will all move forward with the spirit of tearing down those walls.