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Hawaiʻi Tokai grad at the Rio Olympics!
My name is Ayumi 
Karasawa and I graduated from Hawaiʻi Tokai in 2015. I recently stayed in Rio de Janeiro for almost one month to volunteer at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In September, 2013, while I was still a CP student at Hawaiʻi Tokai, I saw a TV broadcast that Tokyo was selected as the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. I clearly remember that moment, and I decided that I wanted to be a member of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Afterwards, I did not hesitate to apply to be a volunteer for the Rio Olympic Games because I believed this was an opportunity that would be helpful towards my future dream.
At the Rio Olympics, I was a member of the Language Services Team. My role there was to be a language interpreter between the media and the athletes. The members of the Language Services Team came from all over the world – from places such as Thailand, Germany, 
and Russia. The common language between all of us was English. I also worked with people from the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), an agency that provides images of the Olympic Games, and they spoke English, too. Even though Portuguese is the main language in Rio, I spoke English more. Most of my team members were very active, and they were able to speak more than three or four languages. I was very impressed by them.
I had many wonderful experiences in Rio. For example, I had a chance to meet Yuriko Koike, the Governor of Tokyo, at the Barra Olympic Park to explain the venues and my volunteer experiences. But in my opinion, the best thing that happened was that I was able to feel the excitement in the atmosphere at the Olympics. At the point when the Japanese national anthem played at the closing ceremony, I was even more excited for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Since I cam
e back to Japan, I really miss the time I spent at the Rio Olympic Games. I do not think this feeling will ever fade away. I think that being at Hawaiʻi Tokai guided me towards this opportunity. I would like to encourage all Hawaiʻi Tokai students to take advantage of the time that you have there and learn many kinds of subjects and experience many things. Hawaiʻi Tokai was my gateway to Rio and the Olympics. Where will your Hawaiʻi Tokai experiences take you? Find whatever it is that motivates you and go for it!![/fusion_text]