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Part 1: Talk session digest:  "How can your experiences as a student be applied to your work?"

How did alumni spend their student life, and how do they feel about it now that they are working adults? Here is a digest of the contents of the talk session!

Yuuka Kyoya, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited, graduated from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2013
Soichiro Hamada, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics in 2015 
Miku Sawada, Gakken Co., Ltd., graduated  from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2015

From the left: the MC, Sawada, Hamada, and Kyoya. Kyoya's achievements since joining the company can also be seen in "Alumni Interviews"

--How did you spend your first and second years of college?

Kyoya: At the time, I was working part-time at a bar, which was inseparable from the music I was passionate about.

Hamada: My goal was to get into university, so I was worried about what I wanted to do after that. That's why I tried studying abroad while I was in university.

Sawada: At the time, I felt lonely and didn't have a student club to join. Then, something happened, and I ended up joining a volunteer student club supported by WAVOC.

-When you were a student, what kind of future did you envision?

Hamada: I vaguely thought, "I want to become a cool member of society who can take on challenges in any field, both domestically and internationally, and provide some kind of value to society."

Kyoya: "I want to support the world with what I love." I didn't think much beyond that. In fact, it was my part-time job at a bar that led to my current job at a beverage manufacturer.

Sawada: My activities with WAVOC and my failure to get into graduate school helped me become aware of my own values and characteristics.

--I heard that you used the time and environment in way that only a university student can to thoroughly pursue what you were interested in. So, is there anything that you're glad you did or wish you had done while you were a student?

Sawada: When I see my colleagues at my current job at a publishing company talking with such enthusiasm about their fields of expertise, I wonder if I should have studied harder.

Kyoya: For me it was music and alcohol, but I think it's important to be passionate about anything.

Hamada: I think it's a good idea to first spend time on what moves you at the time and what you want to do, rather than on things like using time efficiently or things that you think will be beneficial for your future or job hunting.

--Now that you're working, what gaps do you notice compared to your university days, and how do you overcome them?

Kyoya: I want to do everything I want to do (raise great people, be a great daughter and partner, achieve results at work, take care of myself), but I don't have enough time. I struggle to balance the things I want to do every day, but overall, it's fun!

Sawada: After graduating, I wanted to work in manufacturing, but I couldn't get into the company that was my first choice, so I started out in sales at another company. However, I couldn't forget my desire to make things, so I decided to change jobs and now do what I wanted to do. I believe that if you keep learning and taking action no matter where you are, your life will move in the direction you want to achieve.

Hamada: I also started out in sales. I thought I was suited to sales, but I had worries about the company and the work I was doing at the time. Then the Kumamoto earthquake happened, and I was present at a disaster assessment, which reminded me that my daily work is connected to helping people in times of emergency. After that, my worries cleared up, and I was able to work more independently. When the unexpected happens, it's a chance to grow. I became convinced that if I could accept the unexpected in a positive way, my career would expand in a positive way thereafter.

Many students gathered at the venue and listened intently to the alumnuni’s messages.

Part 1: Listening tothe alumnuni’s messages

Part 2:  Roundtable discussion with upperclassmen: "Only Waseda can do this! Waseda University's official extracurricular activity program"

Waseda University has many student groups where students can be active, other than student clubs. After a stage presentation by a senior student who is currently active in a student organization, the venue moved to another location and each organization gathered to hear about their activities and how they can grow. Please check the links below for details of each group's activities.

Before the roundtable discussion, a representative from each organization took to the stage to introduce their activities.

[Design your future – Student organizations participating in the Waseda University Career Center]

• Kouhai Navi
• Campus Tour Guide
• Student Advisors for Waseda Culture
• Student Participation and Job Center (SJC) Student Staff
• Student Health Promotion Mutual Aid Association
• ICC (Intercultural Communication Center) Events/Student Staff Leaders (SSL)
• Gender and Sexuality Center Events/ Gender and Sexuality Center Student Staff
• Volunteer Activities/WAVOC Student Staff Leaders
• Study Abroad Student Advisers
• Business Collaboration Workshop (BCW) / Community Collaboration Workshop (CCW)
• Dormitory Resident Assistant (RA)

Each group held a roundtable discussion with senior student staff. There was lively Q&A.

Part 2: Participating in the roundtable discussion

Kanai

I felt that many of the university-led programs have a solid educational significance and stable activities. When I participated in the roundtable discussion, I was interested in the "Corporate Collaboration Workshop." I think this is a program unique to Waseda, where you can be involved in the activities of major companies in a different way than an internship.