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Encounters and experiences through football make me stronger
Kenji Nishigaki (Second-year student)
A top-level football club was my goal since I was a high school student
I started playing football in second grade of elementary school. When I was a high school student, I set a goal of joining Kansai University’s football team.
The Kansai University Football Team is a top-level college football team with many highly conscious members with professional aims and goals. I asked myself, "How far can I pursue my favorite sport?" and "Can I find my own potential and become stronger?", so, I felt there was no way for me except to join the club.
Now I try to always remember, "There is always something bigger at the top". University football teams usually have a lot of large players. I am relatively small, so I easily get brushed aside. I got injured more often than in my high school days. For that reason, I have to make up for my weakness by training my muscles and core, and caring for and building my body day by day.
Beyond the boundaries of the university football teams, we play with J League teams and train with professional football players. That is a valuable experience for me. Also, I have made many friends through football. Because I can meet many people and observe various ways of living and thinking, I feel that it is an environment that allows me to think more deeply about my life.
I am surrounded by people who have their own intentions and are strongly motivated. They always give me a positive vibe. I try to review what I have done and ask myself, "What do I want to do?" and "Do I have a clear vision for the future?"
We practice at the Senriyama Campus six times a week from 7 o'clock in the morning. Since I study at the Muse Campus, when I have a class first thing in the morning, I have to leave for class in the middle of football practice. However, by coming and going between the two campuses, I can associate with friends from other faculties and sports clubs.
Not only for myself, but for others
What I'm struggling with in university life is money management.
Since I live by myself, I receive some money from my parents, but I am doing my part by having a part-time job to cover travel expenses and fees related to my football team. Since I want to convey the enjoyment of football to children, I am working at a football school. I'm struggling to earn the money to play football that I love so much, but through such experiences, I realized how much I should appreciate my parents. As such, I feel that I want to do my best not only for myself but also for my parents and others who are supporting me.
To realize my dream and goal from my childhood
My dream is to be a firefighter. Since I was a child, I have always wanted to be a useful person. Therefore, I have been studying hard every day to prepare for the public servant examination to make my dream come true.
Also, my team set the goal to be Japan's best football team. To achieve that goal, we practice high-quality exercises daily. In addition to the practice and games six times a week, I work and study every day, even on holidays. It’s not easy, but it is very fulfilling. My student life can’t be repeated, so I would like to do various things with all my strength and make my four years meaningful.
There aren’t many faculties where people can study safety and security. Now, disasters are occurring frequently, so I think that the Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences is becoming more necessary.
What I feel is interesting is that at this faculty, students can learn about disasters and problems occurring in society from various perspectives such as psychology, law, engineering, etc.
Moreover, because I can learn a wide range of fields in an expert manner, my life is very fulfilling. I am having a lot of fun because I can deepen my studies with other students.
About the entrance exams In my high school days, it was difficult to secure enough study time because I was busy with club activities. For that reason, I prepared and reviewed lessons during the break time between classes and learned English words for 20 or 30 minutes before going to bed and rechecked the words I learned when I got up in the morning. I studied in the most efficient way I believed. What I was always paying attention to was "quality rather than quantity". No matter how much effort you make, if you can’t show your strength in a one-shot entrance exam, the efforts so far will be in vain. I think that it is very important to always be making efforts with a goal in mind and to ask myself, “What can I do to reach my goal?”
*This article was available as of March 2017.