Kyodai Collaborative’s first T-shirt & Engagement campaign is closing soon on August 19, 2026. Throughout the one-month campaign, we highlighted voices of alumni of the Kingfisher Global Leadership Program and recipients of the Shida Scholarship Program.
The two programs have immediate and long-term impacts on participants’ career paths. The participants accumulated their expertise, broadened inspiring networks, and envisioned futures in which they contribute to sustainable society as global leaders.
Do you miss the powerful stories from the program participants? Read them below.
These positive impacts are results of your generous and continuous support to Kyodai Collaborative. Thank you very much again for your support and joining the campaign.
Get your Kyodai Collaborative T-shirt here, if you haven’t.
After participating in the program, I became to think bigger. I only wanted to work for refugees and foreign residents as lawyer in the current system, but now I’m thinking that I also want to work on the system itself. I don’t know how yet, but I’m thankful to the program to broaden my perspective. (Natsuno, Kingfisher Leader’ 25)
KGLP [Kingfisher Global Leadership Program] was (hopefully will be) my Kairos. A transformative moment where vision met opportunity. (At least,) it gave me the confidence to lead my future decisively. (Kojima, Kingfisher Leader’25)
Before I participated in Kingfisher, I was very unsure of what I wanted to do in the future because, even though I knew I wanted to be involved with the pharmaceutical industry, I still had some doubts whether I’d be satisfied with just that. Through the program, I was able to discover more career opportunities and learn more about social entrepreneurship and start-ups, and I think these learnings will help develop my career and shape it into something personal and impactful. (Seth, Kingfisher Leader’25)
The program showed me the brand-new world of entrepreneurship that had been totally unfamiliar to me. Now I am doing an internship in a startup introduced by the Kingfisher network. (Toshiya, Kingfisher Leader’25)
Participating in the Program allowed me to deeply explore and strengthen my leadership skills by learning from diverse leadership styles and understanding fundamental qualities of leadership. It also expanded my professional network and broadened my career perspective through meaningful discussions with individuals from various backgrounds, motivating me to explore and pursue new opportunities. (Kaimuk, Kingfisher Leader’24)
Kingfisher was an opportunity to explore many career possibilities and realize that a career path should be tailored and self-defined. The experience inspired me to be more firm and fearless in developing my own path. (Habib, Kingfisher Leader’23)
This program prepared me to become a global leader by enhancing my strategic thinking and cross-cultural collaboration skill through international leadership exposure & workshops. Once in a lifetime opportunity! (Duncan, Kingfisher Leader’ 23)
The program helped me realize that even top professionals started where I am, which boosted my confidence and pushed me to be more ambitious. (Prakhar, Kingfisher Leader’20)
At a domestic architectural design firm, I am responsible for designing air conditioning systems for data centers—a key modern infrastructure—and providing energy-saving consulting services. Japan still has significant potential for technological innovation in this field. My experience with the Kingfisher Program has been invaluable, enabling me to observe advanced design examples overseas (in Australia, Singapore, the US, etc.), even as a relatively new engineer. (Koki, Kingfisher Leader’17)
I used to feel intimidated by big-name organizations, but the program introduced me to kind alumni who work there. Speaking with them transformed my fears into confidence and empowered me to pursue my goals without hesitation. (Sakai, Kingfisher Leader’12)
I currently serve as Head of Sub-Office for UN Women in Afghanistan. Without the ambition and excelsior spirit I gained from Dr. Kuno and Dr. Ueno, I may not have dreamt of one day assuming a managerial role in one of the toughest duty stations to fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan. (Nanaho Yamanaka, Kingfisher Leader’12)
The Shida Scholarship Program has opened the way for me to engage in long-term postdoctoral research abroad. I believe that the opportunity to deepen collaborations with overseas researchers through this long-term stay will be highly beneficial for the future development of my research. (Takafumi, Shida Scholarship Recipient’24)
My research stay in San Diego, supported by the Shida Scholarship Program, has been profoundly expanding my global perspective and continues to empower me to pursue ambitious international career opportunities. (Yuki Akura, Shida Scholarship Recipient’24)
Participation in the Shida Scholarship Program has enabled me to conduct cutting-edge research in cheminformatics while strengthening my leadership and collaboration skills in a global environment. This experience has greatly expanded my career opportunities worldwide, and I am truly grateful for the support. (Taichi, Shida Scholarship Recipient”24)
Receiving this scholarship allowed me to focus more on my research and academic growth, which will greatly contribute to my future career as a researcher. (Shoko, Shida Scholarship Recipient’24)
The Program significantly increased my flexibility within my PhD studies, enabling me to pursue my own research interests and career goals more independently. (Shoki, Shida Scholarship Recipient’24)
I have gained the confidence to say that I would actively take on any opportunity to build a career abroad in the future. (Yusuke, Shida Scholarship Recipient’24)
Being supported by and connected with visionary professionals across North America who share the same alma mater, 6,000 miles away from home, has been truly empowering. (Ryoko, Shida Scholarship Recipient’23)
