My father served in the U.S. Navy in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. He met my mother there. They moved to the States right before I was born but I've been traveling back and forth to Japan all my life until last year when I moved to Tokyo. Sasebo is like home to me.

Make the most of every day and don’t let the little things get in the way. Life is a gift, you know? The world is an amazing place. It’s so easy to get bogged down by the annoying minutiae of daily existence but it’s better to appreciate every opportunity in front of you. Think about how to surmount the issues. Try to make the world a better place for all.

I published a music magazine in Philadelphia for eight years before moving to Japan. It was a side project that I did while working at the university. That experience — championing a burgeoning creative community — was easily the most rewarding thing I’ve done in life. I met so many brilliant, talented, awe-inspiring people and we told their stories.

I believe that universities should do more than just teach their students. The best universities are community leaders, offering ideas for all, and providing spaces for the public to share their ideas. As the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan, I hope that we can be a rallying point for ideas as Japan tackles the difficult questions about its future.

Watch, listen and absorb. Don’t judge. Appreciate the differences and revel in them. I ride a bicycle everywhere and when I have time, I roam the city, usually with no set plan in mind. When I see or hear things, I stop and investigate, often stumbling across parties and matsuri (festivals) and random events. I take pictures and talk to strangers. I try to be a fly on the wall and just observe but I also don’t mind jumping into the middle and dancing with the crowd, if that’s welcomed.