On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, a guest lecture was held for the second-year students of the IM Course at Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School, featuring a graduate speaker. The theme of the lecture was “Climate Change” and “Taking on the Future”.

The guest speaker was Miku Nakamura, a 2017 graduate of the IM Course, who is currently conducting research on climate change at a graduate school in Switzerland. She shared her journey from high school through community college to the University of California, Berkeley, and eventually to graduate school.

In her lecture, she explained the current state of climate change and global efforts to address it using concrete data. She emphasized the message that “Climate change is not an unsolvable problem — it’s an issue we can tackle through individual actions.”

Ms. Nakamura passionately speaks to students using data on climate change.

As someone who once walked the same IM Course path, Ms. Nakamura’s story deeply resonated with the students, who listened intently while imagining their own future paths.

In their reflections after the talk, students shared comments such as:

It was a valuable opportunity for these second-year students, who are at a key point in considering their future, to meet a concrete role model.

After the lecture, students gathered for a commemorative photo with smiles.

This lecture was part of “IM Sougou,” a unique subject in the IM Course. After one year of studying abroad, students take this class to reflect on their experiences and consider their future aspirations. The theme for the second term of the 2025 academic year is “Expand Your Horizons”, encouraging students to take new steps through diverse encounters and experiences.

Seeing an alumnus who continues to pursue their goals even after graduation inspired students to realize that “my actions can make a difference in society.” This lecture became a powerful moment for them to start thinking more deeply about their future.