Don't ignore anything that feels wrong.
Let's begin our inquiry with a casual "question."

College of Education and Social Transformation 2nd Year Student

Haruna Utsuki

Main content

Driven by a sense of unease, I embarked on a path of exploring education.

My deep consideration of the nature of education began when I was in junior high school. I was originally the type of person who was not good at speaking in front of others, but being appointed as class representative and student council president gave me many opportunities to engage in dialogue with students and teachers. However, these dialogues were not always easy, and sometimes my opinions were unilaterally rejected. As a student within the school organization, I felt a sense of unease about the way education was conducted, which became the catalyst for my strong sense of concern about the issues in education.

Scenes from a speech contest I participated in when I was in high school.

Instead of leaving my dissatisfaction and doubts unaddressed, I decided to express my feelings through 'public speaking.' In high school, I taught myself how to structure and express myself, and was able to achieve '7th place at the national competition.'

When I was about to enter university, I initially considered the Faculty of Education. However, I didn't necessarily want to become a teacher; rather, I wanted to deepen my understanding of "education itself." While I was unsure, I learned that a new College of Education and Social Transformation would be established in J. F. Oberlin University. While focusing on education, I could study a variety of adjacent fields such as sociology and economics. I felt that I could re-examine my inquiry themes and social issues from every perspective, so I decided to enroll in J. F. Oberlin University.

I realized the importance of "listening" through fieldwork.

College of Education and Social Transformation is characterized by the close distance between faculty and students. In my first year of university, when I conducted a survey on inclusive education research, I felt uneasy about the implementation process and methods. However, instead of immediately presenting answers, the professor supported me in revisiting the advantages and areas for improvement of the methods and helping me reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Furthermore, the practical course "Fieldwork in the Hamadori Region of Fukushima Prefecture," which I took in the summer of my first year of university, was also a very enriching experience. This course taught us about the realities of the earthquake and nuclear power plant accident, as well as the progress of reconstruction and recovery. I was five years old when the disaster struck my hometown, but I was too young at the time to know much about the background and detailed facts of the disaster. By actually entering the difficult-to-return zone and listening to the voices of the victims, I was once again struck by the sheer scale of the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

At the same time, I also faced the challenge of developing effective interview techniques to elicit genuine and insightful responses from people in the field. How can we capture these voices for academic research? I intend to apply the lessons learned from this experience to my future research.

We want to support children's learning through the power of policy.

Currently, I am focusing on research into "assessing non-cognitive abilities," a topic I have been pursuing since high school. In my third and fourth years, I plan to seriously engage in "scale development," incorporating psychological and sociological insights to determine how to measure non-cognitive abilities and how to ensure their validity.

After graduation, my goal is to work in a political or administrative position. Having personally struggled with the conflicts surrounding education, I want to support children's learning from a policy and systemic perspective.

This is a glimpse of my experience participating in a parliamentary internship.

So far, I have only experienced two years of university life. Even so, I truly appreciate the significance of "keeping questions in mind." Whether in social issues or daily communication, it is important to get to the heart of the issue, asking "Why is this problem happening?" and "Why does this person think that way?"

J. F. Oberlin University offers an environment that takes personal challenges seriously and encourages you. I want to continue pursuing any discomfort or questions I have without compromise and live a university life without regrets.

Haruna Uki

Profile
Becoming student council president in junior high school prompted her to start thinking about the nature of education. She has been actively involved in self-study, such as participating in speech contests. At the 2025 entrance ceremony, she served as the main MC for the Events for the new students in Part 2.

Interview date:
*This interview was conducted in December 2025.

Don't ignore anything that feels wrong.Let's begin our inquiry with a casual "question."

Main content

Driven by a sense of unease, I embarked on a path of exploring education.

I realized the importance of "listening" through fieldwork.

We want to support children's learning through the power of policy.

Related content

Don't ignore anything that feels wrong.
Let's begin our inquiry with a casual "question."