Caledonia student overcomes challenges after moving from Japan
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Recently, the Exchange Club of Columbus hosted this year’s “Accepting the Challenge of Excellence Award.”
The A.C.E. Award is set aside for a student that has excelled through hardship in their life.
Ryoma Kurosawa, an A.C.E. award nominee, is a soon-to-be graduate of Caledonia High School.
He is excited for the next phase of life, but getting to this point wasn’t always easy.
Kurosawa’s family moved from Japan to Caledonia when he was 15 years old.
“I was scared and excited at the same time,” Kurosawa said. “I could literally say ‘hello’ and that’s it, but I figured it out.”
Kurosawa said this was hard on him as a young teen because a lot of things were different.
“Obviously the language, and also the food. And how we communicate to people,” Kurosawa said.
Kurosawa said that before he came to Mississippi, his older brother came over to study abroad, so he had someone he could look up to while going through the change himself.
“He did not come with my family. So, I respect him so much because he was doing it all by himself,” Kurosawa said.
Kurosawa said one thing that helped him when he came here was playing sports.
That allowed him to connect with people differently.
He encourages others who may be going through a similar situation to get involved in any activities they can.
Kurosawa said he studies as hard as he can in school and tries to give his best effort in all he does, and that’s not stopping after high school.
He plans on attending Itawamba Community College after graduation and will play on the soccer team.
He also said he still gets to go back to Japan and visit, and he is thankful for the community he has in Caledonia.
