Q. Why did you choose the Faculty of Law?

I attended an international school where Chinese was the primary language from elementary through middle school. Since I hoped to use both Chinese and English in my future career, Sophia’s global environment appealed to me.

Within the Faculty of Law, I chose the Department of International Legal Studies because I hoped to become a diplomat. My goal was to pursue a career that would enable me to connect countries and work across borders.

Q. What was your greatest turning point as a student?

The greatest turning point was an internship with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs during my second year. It gave me the opportunity to experience the world of diplomacy first-hand. While I learned a great deal, I also realized that it wasn’t quite what I had imagined. I enjoy communicating with people and value freedom, so I began to feel that the path I had been pursuing might not be the right fit for me.

After letting go of a goal I had worked toward for so long, I wasn’t sure what to do next. So I took a gap year and moved to Australia. Deciding to cover all the costs myself, I found a long-term internship and negotiated directly with companies to secure a paid position.

Looking back, I experienced setbacks during university, but never stopped moving forward. My time in Australia was incredibly meaningful and helped me rediscover that side of myself.

Q. What stands out most from your experience in Australia?

One experience that stands out was helping organize a promotional event for Japanese rice with both Japanese and Chinese companies during my internship.

At first, differences in opinion made coordination difficult. To address this, we increased face-to-face meetings and spent time understanding each other’s perspectives and values. Once that trust was built, things moved forward much more smoothly, and the project was a success.

That experience taught me the importance of understanding not only different cultures, but also the people behind them.

I was also involved in translating and writing M&A-related articles for the Japanese community in Australia. Through that work, I developed an interest in how companies raise capital and expand globally, which sparked my interest in international finance and sparked a new career goal.

Q. How did you approach your job search?

Until then, most of my achievements had been measured through clear results and scores. Job hunting felt completely different, and for a while I found that uncertainty difficult.

Then I realized something simple: because people work with people, what matters most is who you are as a person.

In interviews, I tried to relax and be myself. I wanted employers to get to know the real me, while also taking the time to understand them. As a result, I found that my personality and communication skills became some of my biggest strengths.

I also paid close attention to how people communicated—their timing, speaking style, and reactions—to make conversations more natural and meaningful.

Q What are your plans for the future?

After graduation, I’ll be joining Goldman Sachs and starting my career in Singapore. Working overseas has always been a dream of mine, so I feel very fortunate to have that opportunity from day one.

I hope to build on the legal and regulatory knowledge gained at Sophia and apply it to areas such as financial regulation. At the same time, I’m excited to keep learning and developing new skills as my career progresses.

My goal is to develop expertise at the intersection of finance and law, and one day work at Goldman Sachs’ headquarters in New York.

Q. Any messages for current students?

The greatest asset you have is yourself!

Throughout university, I made a point of meeting different people, exploring new opportunities, and learning more about who I am. Sometimes I realized that something wasn’t the right fit for me and chose a different path. Rather than seeing that as a failure, I saw it as part of the process of discovering what suited me best.

Whether through part-time jobs, relationships, academics, or extracurricular activities, take the time to get to know yourself. The better you understand who you are, the more fulfilling your future can become.

※Please note that the information in this article is current as of October 2025.