Approaching Education with Kindness and Humility
Reflections on the 2023–2024 Stanford e-Kobe Closing Ceremony
Stanford e-Kobe is a distance-learning course sponsored by Kobe City and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) at Stanford University. Students are encouraged to think critically about diversity, multiculturalism, entrepreneurship, and equity in the United States and Japan. Stanford e-Kobe instructor Alison Keiko Harsch recently wrote these reflections about the closing ceremony, which was held on March 16, 2024.
On March 16, 2024 the students, teachers, and supporters of Stanford e-Kobe gathered together to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023–2024 cohort. Students sat in the same auditorium at Fukiai Municipal High School as they had six months prior when they participated in the program’s orientation. Where there was previously fidgeting and nervous looks to find familiar faces, there was now quiet comfortable chatter and laughter among peers.
The ceremony began with Kobe JET Coordinator of International Relations Lee Cheng welcoming the students with cheer and accolades. He introduced SPICE Director Gary Mukai, who joined the ceremony online. Mukai shared his own personal connection to Kobe as his grandmother left Japan as a picture bride from the Port of Kobe. He also encouraged students to consider several issues that he wished he had been introduced to as a high school student.
Also joining the ceremony online was Karin Zaugg Black, international business protocol liaison for the Port of Seattle and 17-year president of the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association. Zaugg Black reflected on her time as a guest speaker for all three years since the program’s establishment. She asked students to continue to look for opportunities to connect and build bridges, including participating in future Seattle-Kobe exchanges.
Cheng next handed the virtual microphone to me, also attending via Zoom. While preparing for the ceremony, I had reflected on how I would remember this particular cohort of students. I thought of their eagerness to ask questions and make the most of their time with guest speakers. The way they brought each conversation to a personal level while asking themselves “What can I do to make a difference?” is particularly memorable. Mostly, I recalled the way they spoke to each other in discussions, with compassion and a strong desire to learn from each other, unashamed of any gaps in their own knowledge. I shared with the class that my impression of the 2023–2024 cohort will always be a class of exceptionally kind students who approach their education with kindness and humility.
After listening to each speaker’s comments, it was the students’ turn to share their own class reflections and receive their program certificates. As one by one students took the stage, I was touched by the diverse kernels of knowledge and experience each person shared. Some of the takeaways mentioned by students included:
“I think this experience made my confidence stronger. I want to learn more and more about many fields.”
“I would like to continue to value the process of making things better by adding my own opinions to those of others in discussions.”
“Through this program, I was able to learn about what true equality and diversity are. As internationalization progresses in the future, we are likely to have more interactions with people from various backgrounds. So, I would like to make use of what I have learned and deepen my cooperative spirit.”
“When I first joined this program, I was worried that my English skills were not as good as those of the people around me, but it was a great experience to do what I could.”
As the ceremony came to an end, I thought about how impossible it is to know the impact of education in the moment. For some students, perhaps this course will become a distant, but hopefully fond, memory of their high school days. For others, perhaps this was an introduction to a topic or feeling that will grow to become an integral part of their adulthood. As their instructor for a mere six months, I am humbled by the places these students will go, and lightened by the knowledge that wherever they journey next, they will bring their powerful kindness with them.
Finally, I would like to thank all of the supporters who made Stanford e-Kobe possible, especially Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto and Superintendent Jun Nagata for their vision and leadership. I am grateful for the staff at Kobe Board of Education and Kobe City Hall for their continual support to ensure the program runs smoothly year after year. I would like to express my deep appreciation for my primary contacts, Kobe City Board of Education’s Curriculum Guidance Division Assistant Manager Hiroko Murakami, Kobe City Board of Education’s School Education Division Assistant Manager Shin Hasegawa, and Kobe City Hall's University and Education Partnership Division Staff Mizuho Matsuura. Thank you for all of your hard work, consistent communication, and dedication to ensuring each and every student can enjoy their time in the program.
Stanford e-Kobe is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.
To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
