Christopher is passionate about his goals. From his studies, to his activities, traveling and cooking, he is highly involved, motivated and forward thinking.
So it with great excitement that soon one of these goals will be crossed off his list—high school graduation.
"Education is important to me as I believe it is the most important stepping stone to a successful career and happy state of well-being. Setting goals and being able to complete them are skills I use on a daily basis. The largest of my current goals is to complete my high school education."Christopher
Earning his University of Nebraska High School diploma from Tokyo, Japan, Christopher hopes to tie his love for travel and cultures to his studies by majoring in international business and associated topics, and he is extremely interested in the commercial aviation industry.
He has completed UNHS courses as part of a program with the Aoba-Japan International School, which has worked with UNHS since 2011. The local school has provided Christopher many opportunities to be an active and involved student. His current roles include:
- President of the Student Council
- School newspaper team
- Yearbook team
- Wind band
- Hand bell choir
He has also volunteered his time and talents for several humanitarian campaigns including:
- Run for Hope, establishing schools in Cambodia
- Tide of Hope, raise funds for displaced victims of the Tohoku Earthquake and Fukushima Nuclear Plant Disaster
- Fund collection for victims of Hurricane Haian in the Philippines
“I enjoy the tasks and challenges presented to me by the student council and newspaper,” he said. “I benefit from interacting with my peers and participating in school activities."
Personally, Christopher has been fortunate to travel to many countries due to his immediate family’s location in Japan, but his extended family’s location in the United States. He travels to California and Texas each year to visit relatives, and he has also visited:
- Washington, D.C.
- Singapore
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Germany
- Austria
“Travel has expanded my horizons and directed me to look outside my neighborhood and community,” Christopher said. “Visiting the U.S. and other countries reinforced my education at Aoba-Japan International School, that internationalism and a global mindset are key to success in the modern world."
At home, Christopher has shown his leadership abilities by taking responsibility for most of the meal preparations for his family. From managing the money to actual meal preparation, he works hard to develop his culinary skills and his family’s appreciation of food. He also takes it as a chance to integrate Japanese ingredients with cooking methods from both western and Japanese traditions.
“I enjoy cooking not only because it is a fun creative outlet, but because I am able to create and replicate favorite flavors,” he said. “I believe in a dynamic style of seasoning, where ingredients are prepared to best enjoy their natural flavors."
In considering his high school experience academically and otherwise, Christopher feels prepared for the next chapter of his education and life—he is ready to start working toward new goals.
And, it is not surprising that with all of his motivation that his suggestion to other UNHS students is to set short-term and long-term goals appropriately.
“This skill enables students to see the steps required to complete coursework in small increments,” he said. “Time management and self-motivation are key to independent study."
