Recognizing future leaders: eight students receive 2025 Science Tokyo Award for Student Leadership　

Eight students have received the 2025 Science Tokyo Award for Student Leadership. Awarded annually since 2002, the award aims to encourage highly motivated students with extraordinary intellect, humanity, creativity, and energy to continue with their studies and work towards becoming global leaders. The scope of eligible candidates has included not only students in the second through fourth years of the bachelor’s degree program, but also students who have graduated from the program within the past year.

At the awards ceremony held at Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza (Taki Plaza) on October 31, the students received a certificate and a prize for their efforts from President and CAO Yujiro Tanaka, and then discussed their achievements and future plans with several of the Institute’s leaders. One of the students was unable to join the ceremony due to studying abroad.

• Served as vice-representative of the “peer supporter” group of more than 20 members over the 2022-2023 academic year, leading various activities and taking charge of planning and presentations at national joint training sessions and the nationwide Peer-no-wa event, while coordinating activities on and off campus.
• As the leader of the (then) Tokyo Tech team, helmed presentations for multiple overseas exchange programs.
• Chaired a joint symposium with Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Osaka University on behalf of Science Tokyo and contributed to the event’s success.

I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award.
As an international student, I have worked to promote international exchange and cross-cultural understanding both on and off campus, making the most of the multicultural and multilingual environment. Through these experiences, I have come to believe that leadership means building relationships in which everyone feels safe to make their voice heard and bridging gaps to help your team or organization move forward. This award is not the result of my efforts alone, but also of the generous support of my peers, faculty, and staff, to whom I offer my sincere gratitude. I hope to use my position as an international student and as someone who can bring together people from diverse backgrounds to continue helping make diversity and inclusion a reality at Science Tokyo.

• Served as representative and vice representative of the Student Survey in 2023 and 2024 respectively, leading the design of survey questions, the analysis of nearly 10,000 responses collected from science and engineering students, and the subsequent compilation into a unified proposal.
• Coordinated closely with student survey staff to rebuild connections that had been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic and compiled a forward-looking proposal for achieving their shared vision for the future.

Thank you very much for selecting me as a recipient of this prestigious award.
Serving as representative of the Student Survey was an invaluable opportunity that allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of leadership. I could not have accomplished this without the support of many colleagues, especially the current representative, Junya Matsumoto, not to mention the generous guidance and assistance of faculty and staff. Allow me to express my sincere gratitude.
While I still have a lot to learn, I will continue to value teamwork, cultivate leadership skills, and strive to grow step by step.

• Led a team of individuals and organizations at the robotics contest XROBOCON held during the Osaka Expo. Oversaw design and implementation of the robot within the competition’s time limit.
• Successfully unified a diverse team assembled by the organizers – that included members who had never met before – into a coalition capable of solving complex challenges.

I am truly honored to receive the Leadership Award.
As the leader of a robot competition team, developing our robot meant working with people from diverse backgrounds, some of whom I was meeting for the first time. While we sometimes struggled to achieve a mutual understanding, the trust we built and the experiences we shared in overcoming those challenges are irreplaceable. Despite not securing the victory, I am proud that we were able to give our all, together. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my teammates who stuck with us to the end, to the Science Tokyo members who lent their support, and to everyone who offered their assistance. I will cherish this experience and strive towards further achievements.

• As co-representative of the Science Tokyo International Student Association (S-TISA), organized various activities to help students from abroad adapt to life in Japan, demonstrating outstanding leadership.
• Actively endeavored to recognize and bridge cultural differences between Japanese and international students.
• Demonstrated dedication in discussions on integrating S-TISA with SAGE, a group that Student Association for Promoting International Exchange, to transform the two organizations into one that actively engages students regardless of nationality.

I am truly elated to receive this award, especially as it marks the first of its kind at the merged Institute of Science Tokyo. Since enrolling, I have explored many clubs and circles and gained experiences I could never imagine in high school.
When I was given the chance to serve as the head of S-TISA, I initially lacked confidence and experience. However, under the guidance of senior members, especially Kato-san and Kagei-san, I learned to see the bigger picture, listen carefully, and communicate with greater understanding, while also learning to navigate the procedures involved.
Organizing events is always tense – worrying about advertising, attendance, and execution – but our talented council members have consistently ensured success across various scales. We are only getting started, and I hope you look forward to our upcoming projects.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Abe and my supervisor, Prof. Nakase, for their continued support and guidance throughout my time at Science Tokyo.

• Provided online learning support to elementary, junior high, and high school students facing economic and social difficulties through the student organization he founded, Manabi no Polaris.
• Oversaw the planning and implementation process while serving as a Science Tokyo student operations staff member at the first “hackathon” co-hosted by Science Tokyo and Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Thank you very much for this prestigious Award for Student Leadership.
Through the Manabi no Polaris student organization, we have been able to not only offer online learning support to children facing economic and social difficulties but also provide educational opportunities to children living in foster care facilities. In addition, I oversaw student efforts to plan and run a “hackathon” jointly hosted with Kyushu Institute of Technology. Furthermore, I have endeavored to raise awareness of global issues through overseas educational support activities. I will consider this award as encouragement to continue to challenge myself to create new value for society. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported me.

• Served as representative (2024) and vice representative (2023) of the peer supporters for students in the science and engineering fields, and worked to resolve peer support after the integration.
• Moderated and presented at the 17th and 18th Student Support Forums organized by the Student Support Center on Ookayama Campus.
• Actively contributed to developing survey questions and compiling the proposal as a student staff member for the Student Survey.
• Served for two years as captain of the women’s tennis team, despite its overall inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and achieved tournament victories by successfully recruiting new members and improving training methods.

I am truly honored to receive such a prestigious award.
I feel that being deeply involved in a variety of activities, from peer support to the student survey and the tennis team, has helped me to grow significantly. There were times when things went wrong and moments of doubt, but thanks to my teammates and the many people who supported me, I was able to keep going as a leader. I will continue to apply what I have learned from these experiences and devote myself to research, coursework, and other endeavors.

• Founded and led the “Science Tokyo Child Care Club”, which organizes volunteer activities for children, based on the philosophy of creating a society in which all children can live healthier and happier lives.
• Proactively embraced challenges to break down disciplinary boundaries of medicine, engineering, education, and welfare to development of play equipment that can be used by children during hospitalization, donating proceeds from a lemonade stand, and hosting events where children learn about healthcare and wellness through relatable experiences (such as a stuffed animal hospital).

I am sincerely honored to be selected for this prestigious award.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the faculty who provided their exhaustive support in helping establish the Science Tokyo Child Care Club, to everyone who supported us through crowdfunding, to the student members who worked alongside me, and last but not least, to the parents and children who took part in our club’s activities.
Currently, the club is expanding three activities, including an initiative involving medical–engineering collaboration. Any students interested in working closely with children are welcome to join us, regardless of faculty or specialization!

• Leveraged work experience prior to enrolling in medical school to establish the Japan Medical Students with Diverse Entry Systems (J-MEDs), a nationwide organization of medical students and doctors.
• Actively engaged in integrated medicine-engineering projects, based on previous engineering studies and professional consulting experience, and expanded the scope of their endeavors after being selected under the “Innovator Course” of the public-private project “Tobitate! Study Abroad Initiative” and other scholarship programs.

I am deeply honored to receive this award as one of the first cohort of the Science Tokyo Student Leadership Award.
Since enrolling in the School of Medicine as a transfer student, I have been actively engaged in various activities, diving into research into nephrology and studying abroad at Harvard.
I believe this award particularly recognizes the establishment of J-MEDs, a nationwide community for medical school transfer students and doctors in various phases of their studies.
I will continue to work together with the management team to build an organization where medical professionals with diverse backgrounds can come together to co-create new value.