Graduation Ceremonies at Soka University, Soka Women’s College and Soka Schools
The Soka University and Soka Women’s College graduation ceremony held at the central auditorium (Tokyo, March 18, 2023)
On March 16, 2023, graduation ceremonies
were held for students of the Soka schools in Tokyo and Kansai, and on March
18, Soka University and Soka Women’s College in Hachioji, Tokyo, jointly held
their 49th and 37th graduation ceremonies, respectively.
In a message to the
graduating students of Soka University and Soka Women’s
College, the
schools’ founder, Daisaku Ikeda, praised the students for overcoming the
challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to exert themselves in
their studies and challenging their personal development. He urged them to “break
through the darkness of division and conflict in the world by radiating, like
the rising sun, the light of a value-creating life of intelligence, vitality,
sincerity and strength.”
Dr. James Tooley, vice chancellor
of the University of Buckingham in the UK, delivered a congratulatory address,
remarking on the significance of the academic relations and exchange program
between Soka University and the University of Buckingham. Recalling Mahatma
Gandhi’s non-violence philosophy, he called on students to continue their
efforts toward self-transformation as the basis for creating peace in a world
in which the threat of war is escalating.
Graduates of Soka Junior High School in Tokyo
Owing to the pandemic,
for a long period, students were unable to go onto campus, and classes had to
be conducted online. Study abroad programs were cancelled or postponed. One
graduating student recalls, “I don’t know how many times I wished the pandemic
had never happened, but we encouraged each other and strove to make the
challenges meaningful.”
Students of the Soka
schools in Tokyo and Kansai had likewise to navigate similar challenges over
the past three years. In April 2020, the Tokyo 53rd class and the Kansai 48th
class began their school lives with the first-ever entrance ceremony to be held
online in the school’s history. Students were unable to attend school in person
for an extended period of time, and traditional school events had to be
conducted under restrictions. They, however, made use of online resources for
learning, sought ways to conduct club activities safely and gained inspiration
from online interactions with students in other countries.
In his graduation
message, Mr. Ikeda congratulated the students for overcoming these unprecedented
challenges. He called on them to cultivate their wisdom and strength, “expand
the friendship and solidarity of global citizens, and lead the way toward a new
era of happiness and peace for the peoples of the world.”
[Adapted
from articles in the March 17 and 19, 2023, issues of the Seikyo Shimbun,
Soka Gakkai, Japan]
