Conclusion

SFJS has an official school song in which the lyrics emphasize the importance of meeting and creating connections through a bridge to the world. The chorus repeats the lines “いつ か世界の架け橋に、 ” (Nakamura), “one day, on a bridge to the world”. The lyrics are especially meaningful to SFJS students because of how SFJS acts like a bridge for their journey of cultural identity. Whether they are coming from Japan to live in America, or they are American born wanting to stay connected to their Japanese roots, SFJS provides a bridge for students to cross in support of their cultural journey.

When asked “Where do you see yourself 10 years from now”, Kato paused to think for a moment. Then she answered, referring to the SFJS school song: “In the school song, there’s a lyric about a wish to connect America and Japan. So after ten years, I’m hoping that I’ll do a job that’s connecting Japanese culture and American culture in a positive way” (Kato).

Finally graduating from SFJS after 11 years, it feels like I’m closing a big chapter of my life. Although I sacrificed much of my personal time to attend the program, I am grateful for the experiences that SFJS taught me throughout those years. Moving to America at 6 years old was a scary and confusing experience for me. However, SFJS provided me with a familiar setting and helped me find a way to integrate myself into this new environment at my own pace. This unique opportunity helped to shape many aspects of my cultural identity and helped me to develop stronger roots, so I can grow into who I am today with more confidence. Through these 11 years, I experienced lots of change and faced many new challenges. SFJS helped me to maintain and strengthen my ties to my Japanese heritage that were important in defining my true identity. Even though my time at SFJS has come to an end, I believe that I will use the experiences and knowledge I gained to continue to grow in the future.