Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. (SEUS) is an online program offered through the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) to high school students in the United States. The application cycle for the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. summer course will open on March 1, 2026. This article will briefly explore the purpose of the course and include comments from several participants.

The generous support of anonymous donors enables SPICE to offer SEUS free of charge to its participants. The student-centered format of SEUS represents a meaningful effort to help bridge Stanford scholarship with students from different backgrounds, including those who may never have experienced programs like this before.

SEUS Instructor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, refers to SEUS as a “journey of co-learning…to co-create the most meaningful learning experience for everyone by honing our ability to communicate and to collaborate and learn from each other’s experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.” She notes that students “will consider entrepreneurship very broadly, asking questions about each of our responsibilities and rights as global citizens, and how to increase our efficacy to effect change to create a better future for all beings.” SEUS treats entrepreneurship as a practice: to notice what moves you, sit with complexity, listen across differences, and turn reflection into meaningful actions.

Lessons begin with several days of exchanges among the students via an online discussion board and collaborative group projects, after which, in a live virtual class, SEUSers engage directly with guest speakers with decades of experience at Stanford, Silicon Valley, and beyond.

SEUS’ inaugural session—co-created by 22 students representing 16 states and regions from Puerto Rico to Hawaii—started in November 2025. Comments from several of those students appear below.

“Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. has not only given me the opportunity to learn about social entrepreneurship and deepen my understanding of social issues, but also about different perspectives from all across the U.S. This course taught me many things that I can apply in real-life situations.” —Alua C., TX

“SEUS pushes me to think more critically, listen with intention, and consider perspectives far beyond my own...[It] has strengthened my confidence as a communicator and helped me understand how collaboration and reflection can lead to real change.” —Rihanna E., PR

“I’ve appreciated the experiences our guest speakers bring, reflecting on the journey that took them to where they are today. With AI threatening many industries, it’s more important than ever to observe how our guest speakers and their respective industries/fields are actively growing alongside it.” —Valerie B., IN

“SEUS has challenged me to put my utmost effort into every assignment… Building critical thinking is like exercising a muscle, and SEUS has cultivated my critical thinking like no exercise I had ever done before.” —Alex C., TN

“SPICE created a place where learning felt collaborative and respectful and profoundly human... SEUS would have a tremendous influence on any high school students who are curious, open-minded, and want to grow… because it fosters that type of connection, critical thinking, and global understanding in a big way.” —Chloe K., NV

Dr. Hirata noted that “The exchanges in class have truly brought the best out of these already motivated and ambitious high school students. I hope that many high school students will consider applying for the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. summer course and that such exchanges continue.”

For updates and application details, please visit the SEUS page on the SPICE website or sign up for announcements.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawai‘i (Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i). This free professional development program offers Hawai‘i educators a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge of East Asia and strengthen their classroom teaching. Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i is administered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) with generous support from the Freeman Foundation. Twenty teachers will be selected to participate in a fellowship running from late March through July 2026.

The application form is available at https://forms.gle/pPgP5GKb19m2QogX8, and the deadline to apply is February 23, 2026.

Open to high school teachers across Hawai‘i, the fellowship includes a series of expert-led virtual seminars held from March to June, followed by a three-day, in-person teacher institute in Honolulu in July 2026. Program content examines East Asia, U.S.–Asia relations, and the Asian diaspora in the United States, with particular attention to Hawai‘i’s historical and contemporary connections. Participants will also receive a wide range of teaching resources and take part in discussions focused on both content and pedagogy to support effective classroom instruction.

Past participants have described the program as both intellectually enriching and professionally affirming. Rukhsanna Guidroz, a teacher at Seabury Hall on Maui, reflected on her experience: “My purpose for participating in Stanford SEAS Hawaii was to find community and inspiration in my work as an educator. I absolutely feel that these goals were achieved. I found both in the passionate teachers I met and the thought-provoking lectures we experienced together. Hearing different perspectives—both historical and personal—helped broaden my understanding of East Asia, while the exchange of ideas introduced me to new teaching strategies that I’m excited to bring into my own classroom.”

Casey Hulten, a teacher at Kea‘au High School on Hawai‘i Island, echoed this enthusiasm: “I was blown away by the amount of information I learned and how it interweaves with our Island history. The combined knowledge of all the speakers was unbelievable. I feel so blessed to have been part of this enriching opportunity.”

For additional information about Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i, including participant benefits and program expectations, visit the program webpage. Applications must be submitted by February 23, 2026.

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In addition to Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i, SPICE offers teacher PD opportunities virtually to teachers nationwide and locally in California to middle school teachers, high school teachers, and community college instructors. For more information on those programs, please visit the webpages below.

• East Asia Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers
• Virtual East Asia Seminar for High School Teachers in California
• Community College Programs

Applications are now open for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), a free online course conducted in English to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice a year in the fall and spring through a collaboration between SPICE and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. It is open to Japanese-speaking students, in or from Japan, in their first and second years of high school. The spring 2026 course will be taught by Natalie Montecino and will run from April 2026 through August 2026.

The application form is now available at https://forms.gle/FQDX6NNqj28KKAE37. The submission deadline is March 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM Japan Time.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan offers students an opportunity to engage with scholars and entrepreneurs from Stanford University and beyond through live virtual classes, which are held twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and a final group project. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

Former students consistently point to SeEJ’s interactive and collaborative design as a defining feature of the program. As Karen Watanabe shares, “I really enjoyed the interactive nature of SeEJ, especially the group discussions,” noting that these exchanges helped develop communication and teamwork skills while offering perspectives she hadn’t considered before. Nina Kasamatsu echoes this sentiment, adding that “interacting, sharing, and being able to bounce ideas off of each other has been the greatest aspect of SeEJ,” emphasizing how peer feedback and collaboration through group projects deepened both learning and personal growth. Together, these reflections highlight the program's innovative, discussion-centered approach, where collaboration and dialogue are central to the learning experience.

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. Interested high school students should apply online by March 1, 2026.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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This article was written by Dr. David Grossman, founding Director of BAYCEP and SPICE, and draws on a conference paper that he presented in 1978. The updated excerpt and photos (taken in 1974 in the People's Republic of China) were reprinted with permission from Dr. Grossman. Dr. Grossman was the Director of SPICE from 1976 to 1988. This is the first of several articles—focusing on the 50-year history of SPICE—that will be posted this year. 

Prior to World War II, the systematic study of Asia in American schools was rare. Studies of school textbooks found that the few references to Asia were marked by paternalism and stereotypes at best, and by racism and imperialist assumptions at worst. Following U.S. involvement in World War II and the Korean War, there was a notable increase in Asian studies at the collegiate level. At the pre-collegiate level, however, this growing attention to Asia was largely reflected in the addition of a Cold War dimension to the civics curriculum. In this context, China was typically studied as a geopolitical adversary, portrayed even more negatively than the Soviet Union.

In February 1972, a dramatic shift occurred in the tone of U.S.–China relations as a result of President Richard Nixon’s surprise visit to China. This watershed moment generated a surge in public demand for more current and reliable information about China and created new opportunities for reconsidering how China might be taught in American schools.

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While the roots of the Bay Area China Education Project (BAYCEP) can be traced to earlier initiatives, the pivotal moment in its development was the June 1972 Wingspread Conference, “China in the Schools: Directions and Priorities.” Previous meetings addressing China education had been convened by professional organizations such as the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), but what distinguished the Wingspread Conference was its timeliness. The three sponsoring organizations—the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations, the Center for War/Peace Studies, and the Johnson Foundation—shared a widely held belief that the moment was ripe for a focused effort to improve education about China in American schools.

One of the central themes of the Wingspread discussions was a critique of prevailing models of scholar–teacher interaction, particularly the assumption that scholars should serve merely as visiting lecturers. Conference participants urged China scholars to become more attentive to the needs of teachers and school systems and to conceive of their work as part of a reciprocal, two-way process. In perhaps the most influential proposal to emerge from the conference, Yale historian Jonathan Spence called for the development of a cohort of “scholar consultants” who would be both substantively knowledgeable and pedagogically sensitive. This idea would become a cornerstone of BAYCEP.

Ultimately, BAYCEP was the only program to emerge directly from the Wingspread Conference. As early as August 1972, Stanford professor John Lewis convened a meeting of San Francisco Bay Area educators and scholars focused on “Teaching China in the Schools.” This group subsequently submitted a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities under the auspices of the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations. The proposal was successfully funded and outlined a pilot project designed to strengthen humanities teaching in Bay Area schools by creating new mechanisms of cooperation between university scholars and pre-collegiate educators. It emphasized the educational value of Chinese history, society, and culture for enhancing multicultural education and sought to organize locally available resources on China through consultancy relationships, training programs, and curriculum materials that could later be adapted for use in other communities and fields of study.

The transition from this broad mission statement to a fully functioning program was not linear. Stakeholders debated the project’s target audience, the selection of appropriate content, and staff qualifications. Acceptance of a China-focused initiative in schools was by no means assured; at one point, a district superintendent rejected participation on the grounds that the project constituted “Communist propaganda.” The underlying challenge was to design a China-focused program that was both curriculum-relevant and pedagogically sound.

In this regard, BAYCEP’s most innovative component was the development of an associate, or “scholar intern,” program intended to strengthen links between universities and schools. Graduate students and recent graduates in Chinese studies or related education programs were appointed as project associates. These associates underwent intensive training and mentoring to familiarize them with effective pre-collegiate teaching methods and available instructional resources, which were notably scarce at the time. They then worked directly with teachers through professional development workshops, helping translate scholarly knowledge into classroom practice.

Although BAYCEP was not initially conceived as solely a curriculum development project, the need for instructional materials soon became apparent. In collaboration with university scholars and classroom teachers, the project first produced guides to recommended resources on China. As these guides proved necessary but insufficient, BAYCEP later developed instructional units on topics such as the Chinese language, family life, education, sports, and stereotyping. As with the professional development workshops, careful attention was given to both substantive content and pedagogical effectiveness.

True to its original mission, BAYCEP emerged as a model for linking university scholarship with pre-collegiate education. In subsequent years, parallel projects focusing on Japan, Latin America, Africa, and Eastern and Western Europe were initiated. Together with BAYCEP, these initiatives were brought under a common umbrella in 1976, enabling collaboration and cross-fertilization across area studies. This umbrella program—the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE)—continues to operate to this day.

Beyond its immediate contributions to China education, BAYCEP’s enduring legacy lies in its redefinition of the relationship between universities and pre-collegiate schools. By institutionalizing the role of the scholar consultant and embedding graduate students and recent graduates within K–12 professional development, BAYCEP moved beyond episodic outreach toward a sustained, collaborative model of knowledge exchange. Its emphasis on pedagogical relevance, mutual learning, and curriculum integration anticipated later approaches to public scholarship and teacher professionalization in area studies. The success of BAYCEP also demonstrated that international and cross-cultural education could be both academically rigorous and responsive to local educational contexts, even amid political uncertainty. As the foundational program within what became SPICE, BAYCEP served not only as a prototype for subsequent regional initiatives but also as a durable model for translating university-based scholarship into meaningful educational practice—an approach that continues to shape international education well beyond its original historical moment.

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The following is Part 12 of a multiple-part series. To read previous installments in this series, please visit the following articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, and Part 11.

Since December 8, 2020, SPICE has posted 11 articles that highlight reflections from 88 students on the question, “What does it mean to be an American?” Part 12 features seven additional reflections. The reflections below do not necessarily reflect those of the SPICE staff.

The free educational website “What Does It Mean to Be an American?” offers six lessons on immigration, civic engagement, leadership, civil liberties & equity, justice & reconciliation, and U.S.–Japan relations. The lessons encourage critical thinking through class activities and discussions. On March 24, 2021, SPICE’s Rylan Sekiguchi was honored by the Association for Asian Studies for his authorship of the lessons that are featured on the website, which was developed by the Mineta Legacy Project in partnership with SPICE.

Emma Estrada, California 
For me, being an American means utilizing all the opportunities provided by the country to the people. Being able to fulfill your hopes and dreams that seem impractical to accomplish. There is a meaning behind people coming to this country. It’s because they are in search of a fresh start and our nation’s liberty and individualism allows them to have one. America has many different cultures and beliefs to explore, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Being an American also means looking towards the future while remembering the past. There have been many people who came before us who sacrificed and fought for this country so that we could say that we are American. Living in this country allows us to not only correct but create new history to help improve our nation.

Miki Harris, California
To be American is to accept that I will never pass as one race. It is to accept that people may make a game out of guessing my ethnicity. It is to accept that I may feel out of place in family gatherings and countries of my ethnic origin.

But to be American is to realize the unique variation of people around me and celebrate it. It is learning cultural history in African American studies, trying my friend’s homemade tamales, or simply people-watching in the school hallways.

For me, having the freedom to decide where I fit and who I am is what it means to be American. How could I ever feel out of place when there is no one place to begin with?

Bo Ichiki, California
While living in Japan, I felt an overwhelming catalog of systematic milestones for success—attend a nice elementary school, get good grades, take extracurricular activities, attend a nice middle school, and eventually get accepted for a job at a successful company, known as ōte kigyō (大手企業). For me, being American is the governing of one’s own life. Here, society seems only to shadow who we are, and leave the outline and colors for ourselves to picture—good or bad. The freedom can result in too much for one to handle. In Japan, crime rates are much lower than those of the U.S., and the disparity of wealth is much smaller; there are fewer poverty-stricken citizens or incredibly rich individuals. In the U.S., there is less guidance on the “proper” way to become successful, which leads to the inconsistency that proves to be either the gift of abstract and unique innovations or the curse of poverty and being misled. Being American allows citizens to draw a new path to the good or to the bad. Being American grants the right of control.

Claire Ishimatsu, California
When I think of America, I think of freedom, particularly the freedom to learn about my culture. As a fifth-generation Japanese American, I grew up in a very American household where being Japanese wasn’t a large part of my life. Seeing my friends speak a second language and celebrate cultural holidays inspired me to explore my ancestral heritage. I learned that my grandparents were incarcerated in the Japanese American Incarceration Camps during World War II. They lived during a time when it was “wrong” to be of Japanese descent so they distanced themselves from their native tongue and traditions. Nonetheless, they remained proud Americans with some even fighting in the war against Japan. Hearing their experiences made me grateful for the freedoms I have today. Now my family celebrates Japanese holidays and traditions. I’m also taking Japanese at my high school, and slowly, the language has started to fill my house like it did a century ago. Being American means having the freedom to learn about and embrace my Japanese identity.

Jibhum Lee, Hawai‘i
clank...clank…clank

One hundred and seventy six years ago, immigrants from many countries as well as from other parts of the United States took on a perilous journey to California. They were drawn to the California Gold Rush. Accompanying them were rhythmic “clanks”—the sound of their tools, wagons, and buckles. At each step, a “clank” gave a powerful beat as they headed toward their destination. Being an American does not mean having a navy-blue passport with the gold-leafed “United States of America.” When I was young, I compared my green-covered Korean passport with the dark blue my eyes drowned in, thinking to myself, “When will I have that?” These things are arbitrary in comparison to the rhythmic beat every American carries—the sound of passion and trust in finding their North Star. “American” is a label too small for the people who make up this country. Yet, the “clanks” made by those who immigrated and struggled to keep their place in America are passed through generations. What unites us is this beat: sometimes loud and oftentimes soft, but always steady.

Sofia McGullam Ornelas, California
The United States has a rich history of asking the complex question: What does it mean to be an American? The answer to this question has varied according to the time, place, and context of when it has been asked. For example, there have been times in American history that excluded ethnic minority groups from full citizenship rights. Our country is a mosaic of different ethnic groups who have collaborated to improve civil rights. The diversity of the United States informs the idea that anyone can come here and make a better life for themselves, despite a history of certain federal administrations preventing immigration from various countries. Americans can and should point out systemic flaws and implement legislation that can provide protections for minority groups. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. witnessed economic and racial inequities and drew attention to how unjust society was for people of color in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement led to the historic passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ultimately, the meaning of being an American is always working to better this country for all its citizens while still proudly identifying and acknowledging one’s heritage.

Ryan Tonkovich, California
Most countries are founded on geographic, ethnic, and religious heritage. Not America. Unlike anywhere else, America is founded on ideas. It is these ideas that unite us as Americans and not some shared ancestral lands or a shared ethnic or religious heritage. For nearly 250 years, people have come to America seeking economic opportunity or fleeing poverty, war, and persecution. Because nearly every race, ethnicity, and religion is represented in America, it is not these elements that bind us as Americans. Rather, it is our fundamental beliefs. It is our belief in democracy, in freedom of speech, in freedom of assembly, in religious freedom, in equal protection under the law, in a nation of laws, and in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that defines us as Americans. 

My time in the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan program was transformative. I came in with a jumble of passions and questions about the world and left with lifelong friends across the world, invaluable mentoring, and a clear vision.

Every session was a journey in and of itself. It combined strong individual and team preparation, presentations to and from amazing guest speakers, and reflective discussions at the end. This constantly pushed me and my peers to grow into better critical thinkers, speakers, listeners, and team players; high expectations yielded high results. I was amazed by the diversity of the guest speakers and the topics we dove into: design thinking, AI & philosophy, sustainability, and more. Each gave me new world perspectives and challenged me to think in ways I hadn’t before. I began pondering upon questions such as “How does this choice impact the world around me?” “Does philanthropy benefit the rich more than the underprivileged?” “How can we navigate a world of AI?” This in turn has helped me view entrepreneurship as something inherently social, a means of designing thoughtful solutions to real problems and ultimately making a positive difference in the world.

One of my most memorable moments was the final group presentation, where we advocated for a charitable organization that would receive a donation if picked by the judges. My group chose The Ocean Cleanup and devoted ourselves to understanding the socio-environmental consequences of plastic pollution, as well as presenting it in a way that would resonate with our audience. I vividly remember calling my group members past 2am one night out of pure excitement and motivation, giving feedback on each other’s slides and encouraging one another. We ended up winning! But even more than that, I am truly grateful for the relationships that SeEJ has gifted me.

In fact, as one of the few students living in the United States, I was so honored to share a screen with people from Okinawa to Hokkaido. So much so that I decided to create a Canvas announcement titled “SeEJ Hangout in Tokyo!!!!” Mission accomplished: I got to spend a few hours with my peers in person (in Shibuya!) after three months of Zoom boxes, which was an incredible and unforgettable experience.

SeEJ allowed me to embark on a journey of self-discovery as well. Through the individual research paper and 2-minute video on a social issue of choice—core pillars of SeEJ—I discovered my passion for nuclear disarmament. Growing up listening to my hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) grandfather’s childhood stories, I never fully realized the power of his voice and my own. (Photo below courtesy of Erin Tsutsui.) Through SeEJ, I was able to name this passion and imagine a concrete path forward. Now, I commit myself to dismantling the mindset and weaponry that allows war to exist, as I am building a youth-led initiative that mobilizes and educates youth to spread hibakusha stories by utilizing digital media and grassroots engagements.

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None of this could have been possible without the generosity and dedication of our instructor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, and the incredible lineup of guest speakers who graciously shared their time, stories, and wisdom with us. They instilled in us empathy, bravery, tenacity, and a deep responsibility to care for our people and planet; I now see myself and my peers as visionaries, each with our own unique background and goals.

I thank Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan for teaching me that at the core of social entrepreneurship is community and humanity. One of our guest speakers, Ms. Megan Carroll, taught us a South African word that embodies this spirit: ubuntu—“I am because we are.”

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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At Eikei University of Hiroshima (EUH), with its academic mission to contribute to society through engaging with timely and relevant societal issues, explore practical and innovative solutions to these issues, and foster a cadre of young potential change-makers, we are exposed to a wide range of knowledge- and skill-based courses that harness the competencies needed for the realities waiting outside the school. The Social Entrepreneurship – Human-Centered Design for Sustainability and Impact course, developed by SPICE and instructed by Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara, is an excellent intensive program that amplifies and reinforces the school’s focus and goals while providing students with a different perspective on comprehending the socioeconomic world and its stakeholders through understanding oneself.

This course directed us to explore how a human-centered approach can address sustainability challenges within communities. We gained highly valuable skills and insights into social innovation through intensive lectures, interactive discussions, and hands-on workshops. The hybrid learning format allowed us to engage with our three special guest speakers, who are globally active contributors to the field of social entrepreneurship. At the same time, the later sessions immersed us in fieldwork with our assigned local Design Thinking Partners (DTPs)—professionals and entrepreneurs dedicated to creating positive impact in the Hiroshima/Setouchi region. This combination of global and local perspectives, along with the support of our student assistants (SAs), made the entire learning journey vibrant, engaging, and memorable.

One of the takeaways I still carry are prompt questions that were asked of us even before the course started: What drives you? What is your belief and purpose? What is your ‘why’? For me, this self-examination laid the foundation for understanding the human-centered approach. I realized that entrepreneurship is never about the hope of making profits, but about identifying what society truly needs and responding to it with a purpose—the whys that give direction to the work we do, the force that pushes us forward, shaping the impact we aim to create. Additionally, through our DTPs, I also learned that human-centered design revolves around uncovering ‘unmet needs’ rather than simply identifying or restating explicit goals. This realization not only enriched the outcomes and the overall experience of our fieldwork but, more importantly, recalibrated the angle at which I see and engage with the world around me with empathy. 

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What made this 10-session intensive course special is the way it catered to the needs of all students. The SPICE course invited a diverse group of students and student assistants from across Japan (Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Osaka, Shizuoka, and Tokushima) and the world (India, Liberia, Mexico, Philippines, Senegal, Slovakia, and Vietnam). The course was carried out in English, but some teams interviewed the DTPs in their native language, Japanese. Every student was asked to create a safe and inclusive space to learn in the best way possible, and this encouraged each team to choose the language that ensured richer discussion outputs. This aided better communication for all; however, it posed a challenge to me since I was assigned to a team with varied language backgrounds and, by default, I had to serve a role of a mediator. With a short background in learning the native language, I was intimidated and worried about not being able to contribute meaningfully.

Nonetheless, with the encouragement of Mariko-sensei and the support of my teammates, this challenge turned into one of my proudest breakthroughs since coming to Eikei. I gradually grew more confident using Japanese, overcame a long-standing insecurity, stepped out of my comfort zone, and rekindled the power of teamwork, persistence, and appreciation. Looking back, I came to realize that this was an unmet need of mine—at the heart of what human-centered design thinking strives to uncover. With the trust I received from Mariko-sensei, what initially felt like a source of anxiety transformed into one of the most rewarding aspects of this intensive course.

SPICE's course on Social Entrepreneurship with Eikei University of Hiroshima is one of SPICE’s local student programs in Japan.

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The following reflection is a guest post written by Millie Gan, an alum of the Spring 2025 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan Program. Earlier this year, Millie launched Teenage Business Contest Japan, a platform for encouraging social entrepreneurship among teens.

Japan is a place people love to visit, featuring bullet trains, temples, and sushi. Up close, I saw shrinking rural towns, an aging population, and customs fading from daily life. I wanted to do something that wasn’t just talk. The questions that kept coming up were: Who will have the creative ideas necessary to address these issues? And how can we best encourage and empower them?

This summer in Tokyo, the Teenage Business Contest Japan (TBCJ) 2025 invited high school students from across the country to develop business ideas that would help revitalize Japan’s communities. What started as a project organized by students evolved into a nationwide platform where young people could address problems that are typically left to politicians and businesses. As a participant in the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ) program, I planned and built TBCJ in parallel with my SPICE coursework, applying classroom concepts—such as problem framing, rapid testing, and iteration—to real-world challenges.

SeEJ shaped the way I worked: start small, learn fast, and ship. I taught myself Python and JavaScript for websites and games, but for the contest I needed a different kind of tool. I used the Kotae.ai platform to launch TB-Chan, an AI helper on our website. Building it took minutes; training it took discipline. Every morning, I updated TB-Chan with new information—rules, schedules, government datasets, and simple “nudge” prompts—so students, media, and sponsors got instant, consistent answers. Without TB-Chan, we couldn’t have handled the volume of questions.

I was very thrilled that my SeEJ instructor and mentor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, presented the opening speech during the contest. Her message that young people can solve even the most complex challenges if they are given the chance set the tone for the day and encouraged everyone who was there. Getting TBCJ off the ground wasn’t glamorous. Working with government agencies entailed months of preparation; demonstrating impact to institutions demanded patience; securing funding from major companies required persistence. In the end, we raised over ¥3 million and built credibility the old-fashioned way: by delivering. The contest drew reporters—including from The Nikkei and the BBC—and more than 300 online articles followed. Importantly, the work didn’t end on stage. After the event, finalists began collaborating across schools and regions, and the University of Tokyo invited all four finalist teams into its WE AT CHALLENGE Business Program for coaching and potential funding.

A story about Japanese soccer guided me throughout. For years, there were few strikers—too risky, too exposed—until kids watched international players who took the shot. The talent was always there; what was missing was the example. On our stage, every finalist was a striker: a student who led without a guarantee. I also had to be one. Organizing a national contest as a teenager meant acting before certainty existed, and letting action create momentum.

That is the link between TBCJ and SPICE: SeEJ is not just theory; it is a bridge to action. It teaches you to listen carefully, test quickly, and improve openly. TBCJ proved that teens aren’t only future leaders—they are present-tense builders. With the right tools, data, mentors, and faith, young people can connect ideas to implementation and turn problems into opportunities.

The message I hope readers take away is simple: let’s be the strikers. Take the shot. Others will follow.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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