Mr. Samejima Takuomi already knew about the Fulbright Program since he was an elementary school student, though he began thinking about study abroad when he entered graduate school. He wanted to study about the most cutting-edge architecture and environmental issues at the world's top level and in an international environment. In order to do so, he decided to study abroad.

He made decisions one after another. First, he had to choose a country. Being nominated as a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship encouraged him to go to the U.S. Next, he had to select a university. There was a specific university that his family and friends recommended, but Mr. Samejima was not fully convinced. Therefore, he visited all the universities that he got accepted to, and his heart yearned for Yale. “My intuition told me to go to Yale University; I fell in love at first sight.”

Mr. Samejima’s research topic is about sustainable architecture using biomimetics and referring to the body structure of environmentally optimized organisms; however, he had to start from re-learning the concept of architecture since the ways of thinking and designing differ greatly between Japan and the West. Japan designs with the concept of space called "ma," and it is based on the allocation of pillars. The West, on the other hand, surrounds all sides with walls to create a space like a box. Although surprised by the difference, this situation, being in a global environment and learning new perspectives, was what he had hoped for when studying abroad. During a class called Studio, everyone forgot about time and was immersed in making models and discussions until the next morning. "I learned that there are various perspectives on the same matter."

Approximately 60% of the class are international students, of which 40% are from Asia. “Even from non-academic conversation, I realized that there are various values and opinions on politics, pandemic, and Black Lives Matter.”

Mr. Samejima laughs, “I grew a lot in this past year, and it feels like I am a different person now.” Studying abroad means pursuing a path different from others, not a typical path that a new graduate chooses in Japan, but he no longer hesitates to walk his own. “Environmental issues will become more complicated and difficult to solve. I want to re-examine the problems from the perspective of biomimetics and tackle them from my new perspective that has expanded over the year. I also want to think about new ways of how society should be, different from the ways up until the 20th century, through architecture.”

"I spent a lot of time asking myself numerous questions," Mr. Samejima reminisces and continues positively, "the time that I spent thinking was not a waste at all. It just made me more confident in the decisions that I made.” Any decision made after thorough thinking or by following one’s own intuition makes one confident. This strength, believing in oneself, opens up the future.