“Hi, I’m Jihyun, and I came to Sacred Heart in 2007! In the fall, I will be attending a double degree program with Sciences Po at Keio PEARL. 

I think one of my best memories at ISSH would be when Sakurako and I, who at the time were junior schoolers, were invited to play with the middle and high schoolers at Suntory Hall during winter break. 

Another of my best memory would be in grades 9 and 10 during the Joint Musical final rehearsal and performance week. Although there were practices at St. Marys until 9 or even 10 pm, being able to perform and gain more singing and acting experiences were so valuable. 

Despite all the excursions being special to me, I think the grade 8 excursion to Norikura and the grade 11 excursion to Hidatakayama were the best. Personally, during these two excursions, I was able to strengthen my relationships with my closest friends through bus rides, shinkansen rides, and late-night talks. I guess, although excursion activities are fun, the thing that stays with you is mainly the engaging conversations you have with your friends. 

The weirdest memory may be the last choir rehearsal of last school year before we went into e-learning. People were crying and hugging each other as if we were never going to see each other ever again. Looking back, junior school lunchtimes were also bizarre. In junior school, we were much more creative and played games during lunch or recess breaks which were very confusing and strange. 

Although I don’t remember much of the older days, I remember how most of the veterans and our parents would gather at Hannah’s house back in junior school to early middle school and just spent hours playing hide and seek or Just Dance. I also remember how we all came together when one of our possible veterans was leaving. The veterans all believed that she would be graduating together with us but she ended up leaving, which made us all come together. I think that day was the most “together” we’ve ever been.

I’m most thankful for the extracurricular activities that Sacred Heart was able to provide. Many other schools separate between “music people” and “sports people” but ISSH allows both musicians to participate in sports and vice versa. Without this flexible schedule, I would not have been able to experience volleyball, basketball, netball, and tennis during my years here while participating in the orchestra, choir, and various other musical activities.

My main message is to enjoy the time at this school. Although I haven’t had much experience outside this school, looking at my university’s extracurricular lists, it doesn’t seem like I will be able to do everything I did here. So, be thankful for everything you are offered at ISSH. 

A piece of overall advice is to stay organized and on top of your things. While I did have my own share of procrastination over the past years, being on top of your things and being organized does help get you higher grades and more relaxation. Honestly, there’s nothing better feeling than the feeling after you finish everything.” — Jihyun