Poly Students Present on Contemporary Japan

As a part of the Stanford Reischauer Scholars Program, an online course for high schoolers throughout the United States interested in an intensive study of Japan, Sophie A. ‘26 and Ben L. ‘25 presented their capstone projects at Poly. Sophie and Ben are two of the 25 students selected for the online program. 

The Reischauer Scholars Program focuses on Japanese history, culture, economics, and its relationship with the U.S. As part of the course, students are required to give a presentation to members of their community. Sophie and Ben joined the wave of Global Initiatives Program capstone presentations in the final weeks of the school year and presented to the Poly community a particular topic they found interesting in the course. Sophie gave a presentation about the Japanese education system’s strengths and weaknesses, and Ben focused on the causes of the Japanese economy’s Lost Decades. 

“The Reischauer Scholars Program has been an amazing opportunity to learn about Japan and U.S.-Japan relations through hearing university professors, activists, and ambassadors themselves speak to us about their experiences,” said Sophie. “The level of depth the course exposes the students to is very impressive, and I’m grateful to have gained so much knowledge about Japanese culture and about one of the most important international alliances in the world.”