Kariya Mike Kayamori
Kariya Mike Kayamori
Harvard Business School
Boston, MA
My name is Kariya Mike Kayamori and I would like to give you a brief introduction of Kumon and myself. It has been more than 20 years since I first started Kumon. And fortunately, that Kumon Instructor had been my mom.
Because our family was traveled around the world in 4 different countries expanding over 3 continents, the only consistent education I received during that time was Kumon. Having had to change elementary school 5 times, I was always faced by the pressure of adapting to the new educational environment and exceeding academic expectations. I had to prove to my new friends, teachers and myself that I could excel in whatever situation I was in. And Kumon gave me that competitive advantage.
However, Kumon was not always a pleasant ride.
When I first entered elementary school, I was perhaps several years ahead of my classmates, when math class was teaching addition and subtraction, I knew how to do multiplications and divisions. Every school I went to, I was able to achieve high honors by ranking in the top tier in math, and other quantitative subjects. And this edge also gave me the much-needed time to adapt myself into school and to allocate my time into community sports such as soccer and baseball.
But then I hit a wall. When I was in 5th grade, I suddenly felt that I was gradually loosing my edge and some of my classmates were catching up. At the same time, I was starting to lose some interest in Kumon despite achieving certificates as an advance student. Motivation to continue Kumon became low, and Kumon dropped off my priority list. This had a negative spiral effect since my classmates were catching up while I was not practicing Kumon. Although I had a sense of crisis, I was not sure if I could overcome this situation myself.
Then, I found out that the classmate who was giving me the biggest challenge was also a Kumon student. I didn’t know that he was going to a different Kumon center and we quickly became best friends. From there on, we had a synergy effect where we would both compete in class and also in Kumon and challenge our academic limits. This positive rivalry continued until we graduated junior high.
I pride myself in continuing Kumon. Starting from 5A in Math, English (Reading), and Japanese in kinder-garden, I was able to finish all three subjects by the time I graduated high school enabling me to breeze through high school level math, physics and other quantitative subjects. Although continuing Kumon was not an easy road, I knew completing it would give me the confidence and competence to achieve whatever goal I would set in the future.
Upon graduating high school, I was accepted to UC Berkeley as an undergrad of math and science. However, I wanted to do something different, especially in a different major, and decided to pursue my education in Japan. I was fortunate to be accepted by Tokyo University’s faculty of Law, the most prestigious school and major in all Asia. Even here, I was able to go heads on against my classmates. This was possible because the basis of my foundation nourished through Kumon had positive externalities in all subjects.
And after spending several years in a Japanese trading company, now I am pursuing an MBA degree at Harvard Business School. Here again, I appreciate the skills attained through Kumon because my quantitative and logical way of thinking has been a distinct advantage over my colleagues.
I firmly believe that wherever I go, and in whatever stage in my career, Kumon will be an indispensable asset I will build on.
Upon finishing my message, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Kumon and my mother for raising me since I would have never been here without the support of both of them.
And to those who are studying Kumon, “Continuity” is the key to success.