I am originally from Japan and currently double majoring in International Studies and French, however I am thinking about shifting my focus to either Arts Administration or Business Administration. I really have a passion for Japanese Art and design in general. In the future my dream is to be able to connect Japan with United States and Europe through the Arts. 

It was the first time I have ever attended an Arts conference but I really enjoyed it because it took a different approach to the previous conferences that I have attended. It was creative, refreshing, and did an amazing job linking arts to the business industry. I found it amusing how the keynote speakers some how incorporated his passion for woodwork and demonstrated to us how important it is to be passionate about what we want to do and how he said the quote, “If you’re gonna go against the grain, you better be sharp”. I think that was the quote that really struck me during and after the conference. I also loved the student entrepreneurship panel because it was inspiring to have real students talk to us about how they were able to become an entrepreneur  while staying in college. It was great because I feel that many of us students often believe that because of our young age we are limited to opportunities, when in reality the younger we start I feel like we have more room for experience and mistakes to learn from.

After returning to Queens I shared the stories that I heard in the student entrepreneurship panel to my professor in my Internship class which is a three year mandatory class for all students attending Queens. She wanted me to share the stories I heard at the panel to the students in my class, and after hearing the story I realized that many of my classmates studying outside the field of Arts were interested in attending the SEAC next year.

Thank you so much for the great opportunity you have given to me and my classmates who attended SEAC. We had a great time and it really inspired and motivated all of us to really follow our passions and goals.