What a fantastic opportunity it was for CWAJ to give a presentation at “WA” Space, Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai! We’re pleased to report that CWAJ’s program on July 25th was a great success with all seats filled for both one-hour sessions, for a total of 160 attending. Our objective was to raise awareness of CWAJ’s mission to support educational scholarships as a path for women and people with visually impairments to reach their full potential and contribute to the greater social good. Another focus was the value of cultural exchange and encouragement to seek such opportunities for themselves, including programs offered by CWAJ.
These objectives were met through the excellent presentations by three impressive past CWAJ scholarship recipients: Rin Ishikawa, 2023 CWAJ Cartier Scholar/Study Abroad; Makoto Ogoda, 2005 Scholar for the Visually Impaired; and Sangita Das, 2002 Non-Japanese Graduate Scholar. Their experiences showed that higher education not only provides opportunity but also potential to explore and create new paths to meet social needs. Their presentations were followed by a Q&A moderated by Elizabeth Gamarra, 2023 Non-Japanese Graduate Scholar. Elizabeth is currently working at the USA Pavilion as a Youth Ambassador. She enthusiastically recruited 7 young women and men volunteers who were a great help and added an international, youthful feel to our program.
The response from the audience and EXPO organizers was very favorable. The event also successfully increased public awareness of CWAJ by distributing the CWAJ Annual Report to all attendees, our event being listed on the EXPO Visitors app, and being included in Theme Week Events website (a video will be posted later on the Theme Week YouTube channel).
The panelists:
Rin Ishikawa, 2023 CWAJ Cartier Scholar (for Japanese woman to study abroad)
Recipient of the inaugural CWAJ Cartier Scholarship, Ishikawa has an Oxford MBA degree with a background in agriculture and food systems. Her career encompasses social enterprises and established corporations, including her current position as a strategy consultant at a global management consulting firm. Ishikawa is dedicated to developing sustainable food systems and innovative agri-food solutions.
Makoto Ogoda, 2005 CWAJ Scholar for the Visually Impaired
After graduating with Juris Doctor degree form Keio University Law School, Ogoda was certified as an attorney, becoming the third totally blind lawyer in Japan. He established the Ogoda Law Office in 2019 and is working for socially vulnerable people. Ogoda is also an author, including his semi-autobiographical novel “Why I, a blind person, became a lawyer” about finding strength to overcome difficulties, which was made into a TV drama.
Sangita Das, 2002 CWAJ Non-Japanese Woman Graduate Scholar
Sangita Rajbongshi Das has a Masters in Environment Behavior Studies from Tokyo Institute of Technology. Although her career started as an architect, she has mostly worked on disaster and environment management related projects with universities, JICA and Non-Government Organizations over the last two decades. She is currently working as a Consultant and Advisor for NGOs in Bangladesh and Japan. She is also a Senior Researcher at Keio University, and a news presenter at NHK World Japan’s Bangla service.
