06/19/2026
Third up for Senior Spotlight: Valentina ✨
Favorite Memory at the Office:
"My favorite memory as a peace ambassador has to be the Experience Soka Talent Blast! It’s really hard to pick a favorite year, but I will highlight our latest one for the class of 2030. Minami, Yumiko, and I worked tirelessly for weeks to make the show enjoyable for the performers and entertaining for the audience, so when our project finally came together we were overjoyed and could not stop dancing in the bleachers! There is nothing quite like seeing a new class watching their future upperclassmen perform in awe, you can see their future choices shining in their eyes."
Why You Chose to Stay at Soka:
"A question Chelsea asked us often was “why are you still at Soka?” As in, every year we go back home (in my case, back to Brazil) and choose to come back. Why? To me, that is the most important part of choosing Soka. I had plenty of reasons to come in the first place—-great financial aid, small class sizes, study abroad opportunity, big international population—-but those are not the reasons why I stayed. I chose to stay because I love the community we created together during our years at SUA. I love learning words in different languages in the caf, having karaoke parties in the racquetball courts, and playing Super Mario in the dorms. I love walking the awkward path and making silly faces at my friends when I saw them coming my way. I love seeing the deer outside my dorm and wearing pink every Wednesday with the Enrollment Services team. It’s a joy to be at Soka, and I will miss it dearly."
