McLean High School Student Participates in Diplomats Program

(Editor’s note: The following article was written by Allison Meakem, a junior at McLean High School.)

PHOTO of Allison (right) and roommate Keiko from summer 2014 AIU High School Diplomats Program at Princeton University; photo courtesy of Allison Meakem

By Allison Meakem

This past summer, I started my days with Rajio Taiso (a Japanese exercise) and made 79 new and lasting friends. I was lucky enough to participate in the AIU High School Diplomats Program at Princeton University. Founded in 1987 and sponsored by the AIU Insurance Company in Tokyo as well as the Freeman Foundation, High School Diplomats (HSD), which has its headquarters in Fairfax, places 40 Japanese and 40 American students together at Princeton University for 10 days in the hope that they will form invaluable friendships promoting intercultural appreciation and awareness.

All accepted students receive generous scholarships, which cover every aspect of the program, including transportation from the DC area. Admitting qualified students, regardless of their financial means, is a key mission of HSD.

Throughout our 10 days at Princeton, we resided in freshman residence halls, each Japanese student paired with an American roommate. The roommate relationship is a vital element of HSD: every participant forms a strong friendship with a peer from the other culture.

Each day is packed with activities to facilitate discussion, promote learning, and simply have fun! Groups of students from either side of the Pacific Ocean come to Princeton with presentations about aspects of their culture and country prepared, sparking intelligent chatter and deep analysis.

I marveled at the respect that abounded at HSD—every student and his or her talents and interests were so very appreciated by their peers. This allowed us to engage in talks about very serious issues that continue to affect the Japan-US relationship. I was so touched by the students from Hiroshima who worked tirelessly to inform us of the lasting impact of the Atomic Bomb on their communities and the boys from the Sendai region who told us about what it was like to live through not just the Great Japan Earthquake, but also the ensuing nuclear crisis at Fukushima-Daiichi.

Somber and serious discussions were only a part of the greater HSD experience, however. Every day had a theme, and we used various activities to instruct, and learn from, each other. On “Halloween Day,” for example, we dressed up in costumes, and the Japanese students got to try some quintessential American candy and experience a haunted house while we shook in fear watching a Japanese horror movie. On “Rock Star Day,” students belted out American pop songs on Japanese karaoke machines.

These activities took place in the afternoons and evenings, preceeded by a morning of language instruction. Enthusiastic native speakers enlightened us on the intricacies of Hiragana and Katakana while our Japanese friends honed their English proficiency. Classes were taught in small groups based on our language ability. Knowledge of Japanese is not required to be accepted into HSD - in fact most students were placed in beginner classes.

Beyond the daily activities and enjoyable experiences I was a part of at HSD, what did I gain? More than I could have ever imagined. My roommate, Keiko, and the other students taught me so much, not just through their presentations, but through their actions, habits, and character.

I now understand not only basic elements of a foreign culture, but also where these components stem from, and what they mean for the future of Japan as well as the United States. Differences in the core values of our educational systems (the Socratic System in the Western world versus the Confucian System in the East) not only affect how we are taught, but also how our character develops, how we think, and in turn how we communicate and form relationships.

This is only one of the many insights, revelations, or “Eureka!” moments I had and continue to have as a result of my participation in High School Diplomats. Maybe this is why they don’t put a price tag on the program—everything it offers is truly invaluable.

The High School Diplomats Program is open to application from current sophomores and juniors. The application can be found on the program’s website, www.highschooldiplomats.com, and must be postmarked by January 7th, 2015. An interview process follows, and applicants will be informed of their status by mid-April. All questions can be directed at the program coordinator, Mrs. Celine Zapolski, who can be reached at (571) 234-5072 or [email protected] .