Umi Gon

Alumna and parent of THREE Huskies

Notable Accomplishments: Attended for only two years but became a certified nurse and made a best friend from whom she met her husband; All of her three kids attend HIS

When did you graduate from HIS?

2003

Where are you from? 

Hokkaido

What’s your cultural background and/or nationality? 

Father Japanese; Mother American—was an English teacher. She taught me and my siblings English from when we were little until middle school. I have both Japanese and American nationality.

Where are you currently living? 

Sapporo City

What is your current occupation? 

Stay-at-home mom, raising 3 kids.

Why did you choose HIS? 

To have experience in an English-speaking school; and to choose where I wanted to study during my college years.

How many years were you at HIS? 

2 years

What’s one of your favorite memories from HIS?

The Kitara concert and our senior year trip for Habitat and Humanity.

What was your favorite class, and which class helped you prepare the most after college? 

I liked my math class. I wasn’t so good at math, but I learned that if you keep doing it, and finishing your homework every day, you could pass the quizzes and get good grades. To keep on doing something for a long time is hard. Now, I think that experience was one thing that made me confident in myself and strong as a person.

What was your major in college? 

Nursing

What was the most valuable experience you had at HIS and how is that experience continuing to help you today?

Met my best friend. Through her, I met my husband and got 3 kids. :)

How did your experiences at HIS help you in your adult life?

Allowed me to be able to communicate with different people.

Which moment in HIS would you like to relive and why? Would you do anything differently?

I would go back to junior year and work harder in biology class, not copying my classmates’ homework. Because now, it's 20 years later but I still feel guilty about it. :) 

You're an alumna and now have 3 kids attending HIS. Why did you want to enroll your kids in the same school you graduated from?

We wanted our kids to speak English and give them choices when they get older.