By Amy Mercedes Hesselroth ’16

For the past 28 years, 40 American students from around the country have gathered at Princeton University to welcome 40 Japanese students for ten days of fun, friendship and cultural exchange as part of the AIU High School Diplomats Program (HSD). During HSD, also called “The Best Ten Days of My Life” by the staff and graduates of the program, each American diplomat is assigned to a roommate from Japan. The purpose of HSD is to build a friendship with your roommate that transcends across differences in culture, identity and language. Because the program is sponsored by the American International Group, Inc., all 80 students accepted into the program attend on full-scholarship. No diplomat will be denied participation because of inability to pay.

Throughout the program, students are divided into two teams of “J1” and “J2,”  who stay in separate dorms and compete against each other in games. My roommate was Maki, a high school senior from the prefecture of Gunma. She showed me how to write in the Japanese syllabaries of hiragana, katakana and kanji, which helped me to get a headstart in language class. Every morning, while the Japanese diplomats advanced their studies in English, the American diplomats took Japanese language classes. Even though a few students were already fluent in Japanese, this is by no means a requirement for admission into HSD. Classes are offered at all levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced seminar. After receiving language instruction, the students participated in a cultural activity, such as a Japanese tea ceremony, sushi-rolling or kabuki drama presentation.

Each day, there was a new theme for the diplomats to concentrate on during the culture portion of class. The theme days are used as learning tools to teach HSD participants about the other culture’s practices and traditions. For example, on Bunka no Hi (the Day of Culture), the American students attended an authentic Japanese matsuri (festival) where they watched a live calligraphy demonstration and learned how to perform a traditional fisherman’s dance. The Japanese students even brought yukatas and kimonos for their roommates to wear to the festival. There was also Date Night, which many students considered their favorite day of HSD. Each Japanese boy was paired with an American girl and each American boy was paired with a Japanese girl as their “date.” High schools in Japan do not host homecoming or prom, so this was a special time for the Japanese students to dress up and experience an American high school dance.

Another annual theme day was the Diplomat Talks. In small groups, students from both cultures discussed issues of poverty, gender equality and nuclear power. The third topic in particular was an impactful part of the day because of the personal way it touched the Japanese students’ lives. Airi and Yuto, two students from the prefecture of Hiroshima, shared a presentation describing the lasting effects of the atomic bomb America dropped almost seventy years ago. We also heard Issei of the Fukushima prefecture list the dangers that still exist from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. These conversations may have been difficult, but they were important to have; at the end of the day, our diplomacy and respect for each other’s opinions made our relationships stronger.

Finally, the Day of Departure came and it was time to say goodbye to the Japanese students who had become part of our family. There were tears in every diplomats eyes, J1 or J2, boy or girl, Japanese or American. Although we were sad that our time together was over, each roommate pair agreed to keep in touch and continue our newfound friendships even when we were on opposite sides of the world. Every diplomat walked away from this program learning something about themselves, their community and the bonds of friendship that can overcome any cultural barrier. Since graduating from HSD, I have become more cheerful, more confident and more open to trying new things. This experience truly was The Best Ten Days of My Life.

If HSD interests you in any way, then there is good news: the application period is now open! Current sophomores and juniors may apply to next summer’s program, which takes place at Princeton University from July 18 to August 8, 2015. Applicants have until January 7, to mail complete applications to the High School Diplomats office in Fairfax, VA. The application includes a teacher recommendation form, two short essays and a brief interview in mid-March. Prospective diplomats will be notified of their acceptance status in early April via mail. The HSD 2015 application can be accessed online at www.highschooldiplomats.com.