If you ever hear a Japanese graduation song played in a dining hall at Stanford, that's Tony Li playing. Two Japanese PhD students once stopped him afterward and asked if he was Japanese. He isn't. He's from Guangzhou, China, and he even wrote his own gagaku (Japanese Imperial Court Music) -inspired pieces for his Stanford application.

We get into what he left behind to get here, like the ranking spreadsheets of the Chinese public school system, the Zhong Kao exam he dropped out of, and the international school that finally asked less of his GPA and more of what he was curious about. Along the way, we discuss the misconceptions Japan and China carry about each other, why he thinks Iran, Venezuela, and the tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan all trace back to the same problem, and one line we're still thinking about —

"Please, please, please never forget where you came from, and please never forget your mother tongue."

Tune in and let us know your thoughts.

What happens when we prioritize speed over empathy? In this episode, we sit down with special guest Christopher to explore the profound impact of active kindness. Drawing inspiration from Philip Larkin’s poignant poem The Mower, we discuss why the world needs less "cutting down" and more deliberate care—whether that’s adopting a flexible, compassionate approach to teaching neurotypical students, or questioning the tech world’s obsession with "moving fast and breaking things." Tune in for a beautiful conversation about why some things are meant to be handled with care.

Akira explains how we invite guests, how we record, how we edit and advice on how YOU can start your own podcast!

今回のゲストは、世界最大級の高校生研究大会「国際学生科学技術フェア（ISEF）」で今年トップに輝いた、栗林輝（くりばやしひかる）くんです。

輝くんは、ISEFの70年の歴史上初めて日本人として最高賞を受賞しました。彼の研究を突き動かすのは折り紙と、スノボから生まれた自然への好奇心。同じ高校の先輩であるバイオリン侍（＠canadaman_shodai.vn）との出会いから、今回の研究の旅は始まります。きっと電車の座席から飛び上がって、自分の好奇心を追いかけたくなるはずです。お楽しみください。

ISEFとは：International Science and Engineering Fair／国際学生科学技術フェア。世界最大級の高校生研究大会。今年は、グランドキャニオンで知られる米アリゾナ州フェニックスで開催され、67の国と地域から各国代表の高校生1,727人が参加。日本からも29人・19組の高校生研究者が出場し、科学・工学・数学など幅広い分野で研究成果を発表。輝くんは物理学・天文学部門に出場。物体の「点」と「つながり」に注目し、複雑な構造を解析できる計算方法を考案し、発表。

ひかるくんの研究プロジェクトページ (Hikaru's ISEF project page)：
https://isef.net/project/phys021-mcmc-sampling-of-origami-and-linkages

ひかるくんのブログ (Hikaru's interesting blog)：
https://hikarukuri.com/

Instagram：
https://www.instagram.com/hikarukuri/

Hikaru is this year's winner for the largest high school research competition, International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Not only has he become the first Japanese winner in the 70 year history of ISEF, but his love of origami and nature is what drives his research. His curiosity in Origami and Nature stems from snowboarding, as he grew up in Hokkkaido where there's a lot of snow. As Chiyo has participated in ISEF two years ago with Origami, we will dive into the behind-the-scences of research and his life. This episode has made us want to jump up from our chair and pursue our curiosity. Go check it out!

Rio (@rio.kto) is a great writter, educator, and an excellent friend with allllll the amazinggggggg extracarriculars she has done!!!! What I belive you can learn from this podcast is how to be an absolutely superb talker. Never have I taken such an fun podcast!! Go check out this podcast out and learn how she talks and listens PLUS all the cool things she has done! :D

GO CHECK OUT Soul Sparks: https://www.instagram.com/soulspark_wisa?igsh=dXFodTRmMXdubXc3&utm_source=qr

Wisa : https://wakamono-isa.com

With over 165k follwers on Instagram with his origami content, Brandon is a PhD student at Stanford majoring in Engineering. Where does his passion come from? What makes him an artist, a connection that ties his passion for beatboxing and engineering? We unfold his life, understanding the reasons behind each fold of life.

Welcome back fellas! In this episode, we welcome another Stanford Student, Ian Perez! He is an veryyyy active student, joining the Stanford Spokes (more about in the podcast), a marathon runner, an architect, a mentor. His life motto is that 'A life afraid is a life not living'. Why do all this? Where does the energy come from? Check out the episode to find out. Shout out to Ian (@ianperez931) for joining our podcast thank you!!

今回のゲストは、北川拓也さん。ハーバード大学を卒業し、QuEra ComputingのPresidentを務めています。
どのようにして自分の憧れや情熱を見つけ、海外大学、そしてその先のキャリアを選んできたのか――。
小学生時代から現在に至るまでの道のりをたどりながら、人生の分岐点での思考に迫ります。