Learning to Tackle Social Issues at Eikei University of Hiroshima

I chose Eikei University of Hiroshima because I wanted to develop the ability to identify the essence of social issues and take action toward solutions in collaboration with others. The university offers a highly practical learning environment that connects students with society, including liberal arts education aligned with the SDGs and Project-Based Learning (PBL) that challenges real-world social issues.

What I find particularly attractive is the opportunity to learn with students, faculty, and staff who come from diverse backgrounds both inside and outside the university. Engaging in discussions from multiple perspectives has allowed me to broaden my thinking. In such an environment, I have naturally cultivated the attitude to delve deeper into my areas of interest while directly facing real-world challenges.

How a Multicultural Team Challenge Shaped My Competencies

The most memorable experience for me has been Project-Based Learning (PBL), in which teams work together to tackle real-world issues. In the global-themed project I joined, my teammates and I collaborated from identifying a social problem all the way to proposing solutions.

Throughout the process, members with different nationalities and backgrounds exchanged diverse perspectives, sometimes struggling but always supporting one another as we confronted the challenges before us.

I participated in the startup project“X-Pass,” which received the Global Track Gold Award. Our team proposed an AI-driven mentoring system designed to simultaneously address the “isolation” and “sense of loss” experienced by retired professionals, as well as the “career-related anxiety” faced by students and young professionals. Through this project, I feel that my ability to think practically and work persistently as part of a team has grown significantly.

Among the competencies, I especially feel the development of the following three:

• Foresight: the ability to detect early signs of social issues and understand their underlying structure
• Global collaboration: the ability to work together with teammates from diverse cultural backgrounds
• Energetic drive: the ability to persistently take action to bring proposals to life

From Uncertainty to Confidence: What This Project Taught Me

Through this project, I realized that the most effective way to grow is to step outside my comfort zone and take on new challenges. At first, I was anxious about developing a business concept in English and collaborating with teammates who had different experiences. However, as I continued to move forward—with support from faculty members, friends, and coaching provided by the event organizers—I began to clearly recognize my own growth.

Of course, receiving the award made me happy, but more than that, taking the first step toward transforming an idea into a concrete proposal and making an impact on society has given me great confidence. This was an opportunity I would not have gained without coming to Eikei University of Hiroshima, and the university’s practical learning environment truly supported and accelerated my personal development.

My future goal is to build a career in academia while also creating practical solutions to social issues. I plan to pursue graduate studies in behavioral science and education and become an educator in the future. I want to understand how people think, behave, and learn, and use that knowledge to design programs and systems that create real impact. I also hope to continue working on small projects like “X-Pass,” aiming to further develop such initiatives into sustainable models that genuinely support all involved stakeholders. 

At the same time, I also hope to bring project-based learning to my home country through workshops and other learning opportunities. In the future, I want to create learning environments that empower students to think critically about themselves (their own welfare and wellbeing) and their surroundings (for the environment they live in and for the people around them). The support system that I have within Eikei University of Hiroshima (mentors, professors, friends) and outside Eikei University of Hiroshima (family and friends) strengthened my confidence in pursuing this direction and motivated me to continue challenging myself both academically and socially.

（March 2026 contribution）

3rd-year student ARAYAN Renz Kayle Roble received the Global Track Gold Award at the Global College Startup Camp (GCSC) 2026