“Hi! I’m Yua and I came to Sacred Heart in freshman year (2017). I am going to Pratt Institute in New York and I will be studying Communication Design. At first, I was very anxious about the whole idea of moving to a foreign country and living alone, but now that I have connected with a couple of students through social media, I am filled with excitement.

There are so many good memories in ISSH. First, I could never forget the spirit days/week and how creative and competitive our grade was (no wonder our grade came first place every time)! Another memory that I share with the rest of the grade would be the Harry Potter dance performance. I remember coming to school early in the morning to practice the dance with my classmates, and they were definitely worth it. Even today, I am proud of how the final performance turned out; we even managed to get our homeroom teachers involved at the end! We’re also dancing at graduation, so you should definitely get ready for it. The songs that we chose are hit songs that most of the audience will recognize, making the whole ceremony fun for the audience. Overall, with the many dance practices we had, I hope that people will enjoy it and maybe dance along with us. 

I find the grade 11 excursion to be my favorite out of all the others. Although I can only remember bits and pieces of where we visited, it stands at the top because I got to talk to and get close to most of my classmates on this trip. This may have been due to the long bus rides and walks, but I have solidified my relationship with my friends, who are my best friends today, through this excursion. At the end of the trip, I also remember feeling grateful to be a part of the Sacred Heart community. 

The weirdest but best memory would be the time when Mr. Knight bought my friends and me fried chicken! This only happened because during our sophomore year we gave him a box of Korean chicken so a couple of years later he returned the favor with this gift. This surprised us all because we were expecting chicken from family mart, but he got us a box filled with KFC chicken wings with fries! We shared it and ate it all. Thank you, Mr. Knight!

I am thankful for the supportive and welcoming community Sacred Heart provided. Moving to Japan from Belgium was a significant challenge for me. I considered Belgium to be my home, and I was devastated when I arrived in Japan. However, Sacred Heart welcomed me with open arms, with their friendly students and teachers. Additionally, ISSH allowed me to grow as a student and an individual, specifically with their values class that helped expand my experiences and perspectives in life.

Although high school can be tough, students should always keep in mind that teachers and their friends are always there for them. It is easy to fall into that mindset of having to figure things by yourself or feeling like you are the only one struggling. Personally, asking for help from teachers and friends was something that I struggled with because of my shy personality. However, the encouraging community in Sacred Heart helped me to realize how teachers here are genuinely there to help navigate you in the right direction. With experience, I advise students to talk to their teachers and classmates more—you will be surprised by the amount of stress that will be lifted off your shoulders.” — Yua