Raku is a rising sophomore pursuing a major in Business Administration at the University of Southern California. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, he grew up bilingual and has been drawn to understanding the deeper social and economic forces shaping Japan’s financial engagement among youth. Receiving the Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship has been a transformative opportunity, reducing the financial pressure of international education and allowing him to fully dedicate himself to his academic and personal growth.Raku is passionate about financial literacy and envisions using his education to support and revitalize Japan’s financial knowledge, especially among the younger generation. During his time in the U.S., he looks forward to exploring how early financial education is integrated into American curricula and community programs, with the goal of adapting similar approaches to empower youth in Japan to make informed economic decisions from a young age.