People : “Wasedasai (Waseda Festival) 2004” Chief Representative of the Managing Staff
Ms. Aya Yasukata

Ms. Yasukata was born in 1983 in Fukuoka prefecture. She graduated from Meiji Gakuin High School, and is now a third year undergraduate at School of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, majoring in Art History. She studies statues of Buddha of ancient temples. She has a special feeling for statues of Buddha, which have been comforting people for thousands of years. She has been a member of the Wasedasai staff for three years since Wasedasai 2002. She has become the chief representative this year. Her hobby is watching sports, and she particularly favors the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of the Professional Baseball League.

“A few days after the end of Wasedasai, I took a stroll around the Nishi-Waseda campus alone. The campus had already regained its usual quietness. 'Here is where the stage was�c.Here was that event.' It filled my heart.” Ms. Yasukata is the chief representative of the 250 members of the staff of Wasedasai 2004.

“When I was still in high school, I had read in a magazine for those preparing for university entrance exams that the university festival had not been held for a long period. Then just as I was vaguely thinking of the idea of holding a festival that would unite people’s hearts, I found out about the recruitment for the staff of Wasedasai 2002, and I joined without hesitation. I'll never forget the ending of Wasedasai that year.” As Waseda students filled the space in front of Okuma auditorium singing the alma mater together, Ms. Yasukata found the Waseda she had been looking for.

Unable to get the impression out of her mind, she continued working for Wasedasai. However, continuing on the staff in her fourth year would prevent her juniors from having an opportunity to acquire the skills to manage Wasedasai. “Determined to make it my last year as a member of the staff, I stepped forward to be the chief representative, desiring to create a festival where as many people as possible can share the impression I experienced. I had the experience of being a leader of the high school student union, but it was the first time I had handled such a big organization. I studied leadership theory for this role. Yet, it was difficult to adjust the staff with outer world, and I was sometimes exhausted by my role as the representative. I could not help discovering my weak aspects.”

The weeks rushed past, and finally the first day of Wasedasai had come. Ms. Yasukata could feel a good response from the morning of the opening day. “Yet, what determines the success of the event is not the number of guests who some, it's the smiles of the guests. Also, the feeling of achievement and satisfaction are important. I do not know if everybody understood this well, but that's what I have been trying to do. This was my image of Wasedasai 2004”.

If you think Wasedasai was successful, remember that it was not achieved only by the managing staff. There was also support from our senior students, the organizations involved, and many others. Ms. Yasukata emphasizes that the success was due to all this support. Having finished this huge project, she has not found her next goal yet. For the time being, she concentrating on the course for professional school teachers. However, it is certain that she will again discover something that moves people’s hearts.