Category: Profiles
Where Are They Now?
Soka University of America alumni profiles.
Category: Profiles
Soka University of America alumni profiles.
Category: Profiles
by Daniel Asato Gonzalez Lafayette, LA. I’m a film student in my last semester of college, and I’ll be the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. One of the things I’ve been challenging the most in our HOPE Campaign is study. Since I’m a student, the thought of doing more study
Category: Profiles
Faith Jones Peekskill, N.Y. In college, I had dreams of getting a prestigious, well-paying job, so I worked hard to build a resume strong enough to make that a reality. That’s how I thought I was going to make my life matter. I’m going to be somebody one day, I thought. The year I graduated,
Category: Profiles
Brian Enright Oakland, Calif. I was a starving sculptor before I was introduced to the SGI. I knew I wanted to do art, but I didn’t have a plan or a sense of mission to pursue it for a reason greater than myself. My parents were visibly frustrated with me leaving my stable work in
Category: Profiles
World Tribune: Congratulations, Isamarie, on your recent appointment as a group women’s leader! We understand that there is an inspiring story behind this? Isamarie Ortiz (group women’s leader, Tampa, Fla.): Yes, this was more than a 10-year journey. From 2009 to 2019, I had taken a break from my Buddhist practice, and during that time,
Category: Profiles
by Andy Utsumi Arlington, Texas I’m an assistant principal of an elementary school, where we currently have about a third learning virtually (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Many of them are having a hard time with online learning, so I have been encouraging our virtual students by phone and having cafeteria lunches on Zoom together.
Category: Profiles
by Cindy HetzelBeacon, New York After high school, I swooped away to New York City as a fashion model. A few years later, I started chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and my career took off. For most of my 22 years of Buddhist practice, I’ve gotten exactly what I’ve chanted for, but I hit a major wall at
Category: Profiles
by Swati Basu San Francisco When I lost my job in June 2020, I was forced to think outside the box amid the COVID-19 situation. I always had the dream of opening my own small business that would allow me to apply my skills and creativity. In the pandemic, I had rekindled my passion for
Category: Profiles
by Crystal Mae Fraser 32 years old Denver A really pivotal moment was in my first year of Buddhist practice in 2014. At that time, I began to love myself for who I was and came out to my family as a lesbian. For so long, I had been fearful of not being accepted, but
Category: Profiles
by Katy Saini 34 years old Centreville, VA. When I was 9 months old, I contracted bacterial meningitis and lost my hearing permanently. This experience eventually led me to become a teacher for deaf and hard of hearing children and those with other disabilities. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, I decided that my
Category: Profiles
by Michael Silvestre33 years oldOverland Park, Kan. In high school, I struggled with depression and tried to commit suicide. My brother began dragging me to SGI meetings, and I felt stronger and more hopeful through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Instead of just complaining about my problems, I became proactive toward overcoming them. In 2009, the year I received the
Category: Profiles
by Stuart Adams26 years oldAlameda, Calif. I was enrolled in the fire academy and working as an emergency medical technician when the coronavirus pandemic hit. With a local outbreak, I was transporting people confirmed to have or suspected of having COVID-19 on each shift. With a grueling schedule, I often slept at the ambulance station. Every time
Category: Profiles
by Nhi Truong30 years oldPompano, Fla. As an international student from Vietnam studying in the United States, I really struggled with low self-esteem, and because of the language barrier, it was hard for me to connect with others. I felt like no one understood me, not even my aunt who helped me move to the U.S.
Category: Profiles
by Briana Bell18 years oldDallas Recently, I was scrolling on Instagram and came across a petition advocating for large dancewear companies to make ballerina pointe shoes in various shades of brown for Black people and other people of color. Pointe shoes are typically European pink and made for white ballerinas. The petition only had a few signatures,
Category: Profiles
From a Person of Despair to Mission by Tracey VangPhoenix In September 2018, my friend introduced me to the SGI. I was going through a lot then; I had challenges connecting to my family, struggled with my career and put my dream of becoming a nurse on hold. I began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo here and there, and
Category: Profiles
by Michael Cloutier32 years oldLas Vegas I took opiates for over 10 years, which included an addiction to heroin. I couldn’t keep a job and lost connection with my family and friends. When I was in rehab, one of the caretakers introduced me to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. After I got out, I received the Gohonzon on May 3,
Category: Profiles
During the COVID-19 pandemic, SGI-USA members have been courageously sharing their Buddhist practice. And while in-person meetings have not occurred since early March, many friends of members have been joining our virtual gatherings, subscribing to SGI-USA publications and beginning to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo consistently. The following are interviews with individuals who have recently started their journey
Category: Profiles
by Monica Ong The following was originally published on July 3 on tricycle.org as an audio poem read by poets Monica Ong and Randall Horton. Monica is a professional poet as well as an SGI-USA member. I wrote “Yellow Insomnia” during my own relapse of sleeplessness shortly after the murder of George Floyd. Written for two voices, the
Category: Profiles
by Cameron WashingtonLos Angeles When I started chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in 2008, I had just gone through a breakup, graduated from college and felt the mounting pressure and expectation to get a job. All the while, I was at a loss as to what my future would hold. I was searching aimlessly for some sense of purpose and
Category: Profiles