“Meet Waseda Bear!”
Hello everyone, my name is Peter Chai, and I am a member of the Student Advisors for Waseda Culture, a group of students who help with the creation and spreading of Waseda culture. In this article, I would like to talk about a special project for graduating students “Meet Waseda Bear!” I would like to discuss how the student advisors have helped with this project and how I personally found this experience meaningful.
Congratulations to everyone on your graduation!
On Graduation Day
Taking photos with Waseda Bear, the famous Waseda mascot, is a special and free-of-charge service prepared by the Waseda Cultural Affairs Division to celebrate the graduation of Waseda students. This year, during the sunny graduation days on March 25 and 26, the graduating students and their family members and friends had the opportunity to take photos with two versions of Waseda Bear, one with a gown and one with a baseball uniform on Waseda Campus. Also, colorful, celebratory signs were prepared for the participants with phrases in Japanese such as “I graduated from Waseda University,” “I love Waseda,” and “Waseda Spirit.”
Graduates pose with Waseda Bear in front of the Okuma Auditorium
Many graduates took commemorative photos!
The student advisors worked with each other and office staff from the Waseda Cultural Affairs Division to make this project a success. We were responsible for many tasks. Some of us assisted Waseda Bear to move. Some of us guided the participants to stay in line and choose their signs.We also held their baggage while taking photos. Some of the advisors took nice photos for the participants who held their graduation certificates while standing next to Waseda Bear.
This special project attracted hundreds of participants over the two days and gave them a record of their memories with their families and friends on graduation day. The large number of graduating Japanese and international students at various schools and departments showed how much they love Waseda Bear, which represents the lively Waseda culture. Personally, it was a meaningful experience participating in this project because we were able to share in the happiness of those graduating students and their families and friends and convey our wishes for their future career or studies. It was an honor for me to help record their important life moments of graduating from college and enjoying time with their families and friends in the form of photos. Their smiles and laughs while taking photos and their “thank yous” after were, perhaps the best gifts for our efforts. To conclude, I believe that this special project would not have been such a success without the combined cooperation of all the Student Advisors for Waseda Culture. Congratulations again to the graduates!
Peter Chai (Kai Shibata)
Doctoral Program,Graduate School of Political Science,Waseda University
Collection of photographs
