Hello! I’m Lele Shiono, a 17-year-old high schooler. And I’m mixed-race. My father is Iranian and my mother is Japanese.
Like other mixed-race kids in Japan, I have been through a lot at school. Some students criticized my background, my way of thinking, and how I look, and left me out. Every time they did so, I was terribly depressed, hated myself, and lost confidence. But I wouldn’t and won’t change myself, or couldn’t if I tried to.
No matter how different I am, this is me. My life was harsh but that enables me to see things from different angles, which is really wonderful!
When I imagine the peaceful world, the first thing that comes to my mind is children’s smiles. The smile of children are essential to measure how peaceful the world is. The more smiles of children we have, the more peaceful the world will be.
What is necessary for childrens’ smiles? As the first step, they should love themselves and respect themselves. Once they come to love themselves, they can spontaneously love others. When love spreads all over the world, it will be filled with love and smiles. The smiles coming from love will surely remain even after the children grow up. Imagine the world filled with smiles. How peaceful and wonderful it is!
In the future, I want to work for refugees. When I make my dream come true, I will try my best to make them smile by supporting them with all my heart, making circumstances where they can love and respect themselves and others. I sincerly hope that the smiles of those children will make the world peaceful and happy.