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Hello! Greetings from Japan.

I’m a grade 10 AG student at Salesian, and I’d love to share a little bit about what it means to be a student of such a young school, especially as the “first generation student”. It’s a unique experience that only a few people can ever experience, and so I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to tell my experience. 

I joined Salesian at the start of the second term of 2022. I came back to Japan from living abroad, and I decided to pursue my high school education in a school which was only 5 months old back then. When I first joined, I had no idea of what it meant to be a first generation student of a school. Even just the concept of “first generation students” felt odd, as it is an experience that isn’t very ordinary. 

So, when I first joined, I treated my school life at Salesian as just another normal school — trying my best with tests, getting some friends, and doing nothing much else. But as I found myself participating more within school-related activities and communities, I was able to seek a monumental opportunity that was unique only to Salesian. And that opportunity was to start, and create the school that Salesian will be known for.

Now, what does that mean? 

What does it mean to “start” and “create” a school, as a student?

At the start of my third term in my first year at Salesian, I signed up for the school basketball team. At first, I was only observing, consuming and idling, since I only joined in the hopes of just meeting more people and having some form of exercise to stay healthy. However, as I participated more, I realised just how “new” everything was. We had no history, no reputation and no tradition, and there were countless other things that needed to be developed and earned. However, as a Salesian student, you must not think of them as “tasks”, but rather as opportunities to build a foundation to what Salesian would be known for. The mindset of wanting to create and define what it means to be “Salesian” is essential to be an active “first generation student”. 

For example, when I changed my mindset on the basketball team and started aiming to create the history, reputation, and tradition we didn’t yet have, I discovered a new kind of motivation to go to club — not just to “get friends” or “be healthier”, but to actively participate in building what Salesian is. And so, with this newly found motivation, I was able to influence the club in many ways. For instance, I wanted to build a team where everyone shared a common goal, and meticulously worked to achieve. So, I started to communicate more with my teammates, promoting the idea of expressing freely. As time went on, our team became comfortable with sharing game ideas or strategies, which played an important role in developing the team.

Now, as a grade 10 high school student with 3 years of experience with the team, I was able to become the club leader, representing what Salesian basketball has to offer. Through the past couple of years, we were able to compete in local tournaments, and acquire recognition from local leagues as a respectable team. So, within my career as a member of the Salesian basketball team, I am confident in saying that I was able to contribute to starting and creating the school that Salesian will be known for. I guarantee that with the same mindset and drive, you will have endless opportunities to create the school Salesian will be known for. Thank you for reading through! I’ll see you later in Salesian!