RIKI ISHIDA

Riki Ishida is a versatile individual with a keen interest in various academic disciplines, including psychology, economics, international relations, and business. Alongside his academic pursuits, he dedicated significant time to his passion for baseball, pushing the boundaries of his team's performance and setting an extraordinary school record.

In 10th grade, Riki faced a significant challenge as a right-handed baseball player when his batting stances hindered his ability to hit the ball. Determined to overcome this obstacle, he embarked on a journey to reinvent himself as a left-handed batter. In the beginning, hitting the ball proved to be a difficult task, but through persistent practice and seeking guidance from his teammates and coaches, he gradually honed his skills. By the time he reached his senior year in high school, Riki had become one of the team’s key players, triumphing over the adversities. This experience instilled in him a profound lesson, that he could achieve the seemingly impossible and fearlessly adapt to entirely new circumstances. 

 Riki excels at Kaisei Academy, a competitive school known for producing 150 successful University of Tokyo candidates yearly. He ranked 47th out of 400 in a challenging mock exam and scored an impressive 9.1 out of 10 on his final exam. In addition to academics, Riki leads his baseball team, achieving success in the prestigious Tokyo Baseball Tournament for two consecutive years. As a teaching assistant at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute, he promotes Japanese culture through creative events. Riki's thirst for knowledge extends to various fields, from Chinese ancient history to game theory in economics. He's an avid shogi player, constantly analyzing games to improve. Engaging with people, he's taught Japanese to lower graders in the U.S., and consistently earned Honors ranked in the top 10 percentile from 9th to 12th grade.

Riki finds great joy in connecting with bright students from diverse backgrounds and immerses himself in rich learning materials presented in his classes. Exhilarated by the opportunities offered through internship programs, he applies his skills in real-world scenarios. Furthermore, Riki aims to enhance his ability to engage in meaningful discussions by exchanging unique ideas and perspectives with his classmates.