ALISO VIEJO, Calif.—With the morning sun shining brightly, over 400 parents and children gathered at Soka University of America (SUA) on June 22, 2025, for the SoCal-Pacific Territory’s Quint Zone Soka Family Day.
Launched in 2019, the annual event was created to introduce families—especially future division members—to the values of Soka education at SUA, located right in their backyard. After a pandemic pause, the 2025 gathering returned with overwhelming enthusiasm, drawing 533 participants, including support staff—far surpassing last year’s turnout.
The day began in the Soka Performing Arts Center with opening remarks from SUA Executive Vice President Arch Asawa, who emphasized the importance of passing on the spirit of Soka education from one generation to the next. This annual tradition, he said, is about inspiring youth to dream of becoming global citizens grounded in wisdom, courage and compassion.
Sophomore Nobu Mita talked about his journey as a student at SUA and was followed by words from SoCal-Pacific Territory Leader and SUA alumnus Alex Marcos, a member of the university’s first graduating class.
Marcos said that in addition to providing him an outstanding education, SUA created an environment where students could build extraordinary bonds of friendship that last a lifetime.
He said SUA is an institution that raises outstanding contributors to society, who are especially valuable in times of social and global conflict: “I firmly believe that we are in an era toward 2030 where we’re approaching a new renaissance of civilization based on the attributes of global citizenship that Ikeda Sensei describes. The youth who graduate from SUA will play a pivotal role in this renaissance.”
Following the morning session, attendees broke into age-based groups:
• Preelementary and elementary students enjoyed outdoor team-building games with their parents on the campus green.
• Junior high members assembled in the Heritage Hall for a primer on the core principles of Soka education, followed by friendship-building activities like vision boarding and water balloon toss.
• High school students gathered in Founders Hall for a Q&A session with current SUA students and alumni, with support from Kenichi Hackman, SGI-USA’s national young men’s leader.
• Parents attended a panel discussion facilitated by Yvonne Styles, the Territory Parents Group women’s leader, where SUA staff and alumni answered questions on tuition, campus life and the distinctive qualities of an SUA education.
Afterward, everyone reunited for a picnic and live music, where future division members even took the stage to sing their favorite songs. Many youth shared afterward that they now dream of attending SUA one day.
As the participants departed, they were reminded: “Please come visit SUA again and again.” With the sun glowing over the campus, the spirit of hope and determination for the future shone even brighter in their hearts.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles