Experiences from FSA

Hello everyone!

I am Kim Minju, 2nd year student in the Faculty of Letters.

I am in my first year in FSA and I'm in charge of the IT department.

In the beginning when I first joined FSA, I didn’t have any confidence in planning and preparing events for the international students. I also had uncertainties whether or not I could do well.

However, through talking and having dialogues with the members of FSA, I was able to overcome my difficulties and also develop myself.

I was a passive person when I first entered the university but I was able to regain my self confidence once again through FSA activities. I was also able to remind myself again the real reason why I had decided to come to Soka University and I’m also able to have fun and enjoy doing my activities.

When we had to decide which department to enter in FSA during April, I wanted to enter any department other than IT because I didn’t have any confidence with things related to the internet.

However, I thought that this was my only chance to grow and challenge myself without running away from my weaknesses.

There were alot of things that I wasn’t used to doing such as managing a website and youtube, creating posts for instagram. Since it was my first time doing things that were so new to me, there were moments where I even thought that I was burdening other members in the IT department.

But thanks to the help of the other members in the IT department, I was able to gain confidence and did the best I could. As a result, I felt that I have grown a lot compared to myself in the past.

Through doing FSA activities with each and every member and meeting various international students, I felt the importance of friendship once again

Of course, there were times where I felt tired balancing my studies and FSA activities but as I got to meet with the members of the FSA and plan events together with them, I stopped feeling distressed but rather I felt value and importance in what I was doing. This is the reason why I was able to continue my activities while also having fun.

Since there were events every month, there were no moments where I felt bored and I especially felt how fast this one year has passed. Upon entering FSA, there were of course a lot of difficult moments, however the happier moments outweigh them and I was able to create a lot of golden memories. It is a year filled with gratitude.

On the other hand, I do feel a little unfortunate that this year ended so quickly, but because of that I was able to do my activities with passion and develop myself.

I think that the most important thing in doing FSA activities is not to just plan events simply, but to have a great sense of mission, achieve that mission that only you alone can fulfill and face every problem seriously while staying true to yourself.

I am convinced that it is only through these hardships and challenges was I able to grow into the person I am today. I am waiting for the new members who are prepared to fulfill their very own mission.

Thank you very much!