Speakers

Stela SuzukiTEDxHamamatsu 2016 Speaker

First Principal of Hamamatsu International School

Born in 1994, in Philippines.
She is trilingual in English, Japanese, and Tagalog. Her aunt used to say to her “knowledge is only the property” again and again. She had never forgotten the words and graduated the elementary school in five years by skipping grades.

She came to Japan when she was 13 years old and entered a Japanese public junior-high school without knowing Japanese at all. She once passed through 1st grade under the Japanese school system. What made her strong was her aunt words and English, the second official language in Philippines. With having dificulty of language, she entered a public high school and then Hamamatsu Gakuin University. She met Kimihiro Tsumura, the Professor of multi-culture at the university, and meeting him influenced her life a lot.

She reconsidered both good and bad points of Japanese education by her own experience and then founded “Hamamatsu Internatinal School” with the supports from Mr. Tsumura and people around her. She became the 1st Principal of the school.

At Hamamatsu International School, classes are held in English for children with foreign nationalites in Hamamatsu city. The school aim is becoming an universal internatinal school where anyone can reach the education. She want to help children who are minority in Hamamatsu. Her dream is establishing an international college in the futuer.

Her vitality and passion drives her strongly, while her delicate build and soft way of speaking don’t make that image.
Her hobbies are star gazing and painting. She also enjoys going out with her new camera.