President's Gachon : Mrs.Maiko Ito

■President's Gachon : Mrs.Maiko Ito

A top idol who is known to everyone in our generation. And then a researcher. A true science major, he went on to study medicine and robotics, and while writing his doctoral thesis, he was also appointed as a fellow at ExWizards, an AI startup. So cool.

From performing arts to academia

I debuted and worked as an idol, but after five years, I quit because I was often stripped naked. It is common knowledge in this industry that if you quit because of a fight, you will no longer be able to work, but I was able to survive without losing my job. It's all thanks to everyone involved. I wanted to give something back.

However, I entered the entertainment industry right after graduating from high school, so I was ignorant and uneducated. I had no way of giving back. I thought I would go to a university where everyone else was going, and hope to find something. I took correspondence courses at Waseda. My bachelor's and master's seminars were robotics. I originally wanted to study preventive medicine and become a messenger of the importance of prevention, but that didn't work out, so a 20-year-old student asked me if I wanted to take a popular seminar, so I went to robotics.

I thought I would not be able to give back to my parents if I did not go from master's to doctorate, but since my robotics professor did not have a doctorate, I went to consult with my biology professor, who I took a class from during my master's. He said he would accept me if the robotics professor and the faculty council agreed. I did not go to the doctoral program because I wanted to get a doctorate, but because I could not see a way to give back to my parents at the master's level, my main goal was to continue my research at the doctoral level.

◆ Successes and failures

I was lucky to just get into the entertainment industry and land a leading role. It was a success. I think I failed because my personality wasn't suited to being an idol. I hated it so much. Friction arose and I quit. I fell into hell.

But it is because of that failure that I am where I am today. Without that failure, I might have become an arrogant celebrity by now.

What we are focusing on now

Write a paper about the experiment and research you are doing and get a doctorate. A professor once told me that a doctorate is like a grain of rice on the bottom of your foot. You can't eat it if you get it, and it's disgusting if you don't, so why not just get it? I think the professor was probably being sarcastic, saying that just because a celebrity went to a doctoral program doesn't mean they can get it easily. But I hate to lose. So I'll get the grain of rice on the bottom of my foot.

◆What is school and learning?

When I was in elementary school, I went to school without thinking about it. My parents wanted me to go to an all-girls school for the junior high school entrance exam, so I started studying for the exam. When my homeroom teacher handed back my social studies test, I got about 76 points, and he told me in front of everyone that I wouldn't pass with a score like that. When I was in fifth grade, I thought it was strange that you were deciding my life . I didn't particularly want to pass, but I did because I didn't want to get on the path that this person had decided for me.

I went to an all-girls school for middle and high school, and those six years were spent just having fun and not thinking about anything .

I entered university at the age of 45. It was quite interesting. I learned in a way that I had never done before. I thought life is a role-playing game. The best part of role-playing is gaining experience points in your own way, getting weapons, and defeating enemies. This is true for university studies and life as well. Ignoring emotional arguments, it's fun to always gain experience points, get weapons, and defeat enemies. There is a constant sense of accomplishment. It's a repetition of that, is what I learned at university.

When you enter university, there are a lot of things you want to do and things you don't want to do but have to do. When it comes to choosing what to do, students usually choose something easy, something with a kind professor, or something you can easily get credits for. That's normal, but I chose to try something difficult, something people don't want to do, or something that would never be recommended. By doing that, you will be able to see something. Carefully observe what the professor is trying to say and what kind of students he or she would give a good evaluation to. If you put together something that the professor seems to like, you will definitely get good credits. If you do that, life is easy.

When I entered university, the three professors who interviewed me said they didn't want me to enter because people in my profession would definitely quit soon, but I was admitted because I was here for a purpose! When I went to the master's course, they saw the device I made in the seminar and said there was no point in going to graduate school because no one would want something like that, but I was forced to go. When I went to the doctoral course, they opposed me, saying that robots are great, but it was a completely different field, so it wasn't something I could overcome with what I had done up until then. However, they asked me questions about the classes I had taken for the past two years, and when I answered all of them, they said I knew a lot about it and admitted me.

There is always a wall. Nothing has gone smoothly. If you try hard, you can always overcome the wall that appears in front of you. If you use your abilities, there will always be a wall that you can just barely overcome. Always choose what seems fun. Don't try anything that you think you absolutely hate. You might like overcoming the wall of whether you can enjoy it or not.

◆Message for you guys

There are many things you don't know when you're young. You may not know which path to take. Gather up your courage and take a step forward into something that you think is fun. If you think it's impossible, just give up. You can start over in life as many times as you want.

★Postscript

When he says "You can start over in life," I can only nod in agreement. Since coming to academia, he has already made two mountains. When I asked him what he plans to do in the future, he said he is interested in well-being. I think he will make another mountain.