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Valedictory Speech

This is the season when the snow camellias that have endured the harsh winter bask in the spring sunlight.

While we are not able to hold an actual graduation ceremony at Toki Messe today, on behalf of all the graduating students, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for this online ceremony. Prof. USHIKI, the President has just delivered his words of encouragement. We renew our determination to make good use of the knowledge and experience we gained at Niigata University in our pursuit of self-realization.

We have witnessed so many unexpected events up until today. On March 11, 2011, I was on my way home from my junior high school graduation ceremony when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. In the aftermath of the nuclear plant accident, it was difficult to lead a normal life for a long time. Ten years have passed since the massive earthquake. How well prepared are we now to face the threat of disasters? The novel coronavirus pandemic spread all over the world in 2020. For us, this has entailed many restrictions in the students' life in terms of our studies, research, job hunting, and most importantly, interaction with other people. How well prepared are we to face the threat posed by this virus?

Personally, I had had to face unpredictable situations from the time I took the university's entrance examination in 2017 to the time I decided on my current field of research. At first, I was going to study the humanities. But when I was preparing for the admission test, I became interested in biology and wanted to major in this field. However, it was too late to shift from the humanities to the sciences because it was too close to the National Center Test for University Admissions. Yet, I still wanted to follow my heart, so I tried to find out if I could study science courses after entering the university. I later learned that enrollment in the College of Creative Studies enables you to study fields depending on your interests regardless of whether you enter the university as a humanities or science student. I quickly changed my desired faculty from the Faculty of Humanities to the College of Creative Studies. At present, I am doing research related to protein metabolism and clinical oncology, areas of study that I learned about in my seminar. At the time I wished to study the humanities, I could not have imagined that I would end up studying these subjects today.

I think this world is probably full of the unpredictable. We might face great difficulties tomorrow or we could make big mistakes. The result, however, will be very different depending on whether you regard those as something hopeless or as a profound experience in life, or whether you think of those as failure or as a step toward success. I will continue with my research. While one is often unable to obtain the expected results in research, I will not be disheartened; I will think optimistically that I could be on the brink of a great discovery.

This is the mindset that I acquired at the College of Creative Studies. The college is the first new faculty founded by the university in 37 years. It focuses on investigating social issues across the boundary of the humanities and the sciences. In addition, I also think that the discussions with professors and many students from various fields are of great significance. Furthermore, I studied mainly science. They have helped me understand the significance of not only applied research focused on social issues, but also basic research from the standpoint of intellectual curiosity and academic value, even though this may not be of immediate usefulness. I will continue to engage in basic research while I will also think of how to link this to applied research. The ability to understand the paradigm of things from a comprehensive perspective is one achievement I have made as a student of the College of Creative Studies.

I have also had many unpredictable experiences in my four years at the college. I only hope that I am able to serve as a role model for succeeding students as a member of the first batch of students of this college. We need to move forward, one step at a time, into the uncertain future, but each step we take will become a guidepost for those coming after us. We will believe in the path that we have chosen and take solid steps that will inspire others.

Lastly, I would like to express our gratitude to Prof. NARUMI Takatsune, the Dean of the College of Creative Studies and all the professors who guided us, and to everyone who supported our student life. Above all, I would like to thank my parents, who watched over me as I moved ahead, from the bottom of my heart.

As I end this speech, I would like to wish you all happiness and wish for Niigata University's advancement.

March 23, 2021
Valedictorian: KISA? Kenta
Creative Studies Course, College of Creative Studies