私に影響を与えてくれたのは、一人の先生や有名人ではありません。高校時代の個性的なクラスメートたちです。

中学生までは、私はわりと一生懸命勉強していました。学校では、勉強ができる人が評価されたり、クラスでも人気があったりして、「勉強ができることはとても大切なんだ」と自然に思っていた気がします。

一方で、私は小さい頃からエレクトーンを続けていて、当時はプロになることを目指して練習していました。そのため高校を選ぶときも、いわゆる進学校ではなく、自宅から近く、音楽の練習やコンクールを優先しやすい学校を選びました。

その高校に入って驚いたのは、クラスメートたちがあまり「勉強が一番」という考え方ではなかったことです。

タレント事務所に入って仕事をしている人、モデルとして活動している人、プロのバイクレーサーを目指してサーキットへ練習に行っている人など、それぞれが自分の夢や得意なことを持っていました。

それまでの私は、学生時代は勉強ができる人が一番すごい、というような価値観をどこかで持っていたと思います。

でも、そんなクラスメートたちと一緒に過ごすうちに、「人の魅力や才能は、勉強だけでは決まらないんだ」と強く感じるようになりました。

結局、私は音楽の道には進まず、その後、英語を勉強して社会に出ました。銀行やホテルで働きましたが、そこでも高校時代に感じたことを何度も思い出しました。

もちろん、高学歴で優秀な人もたくさんいました。でも仕事をしていると、それだけで全てが決まるわけではありません。

笑顔が魅力的でお客様に好かれる人、体力があっていつも元気に行動できる人、人と話すのが上手で信頼される人。それぞれ違った長所を持つ人が活躍していました。

特にホテルでは、人に与える印象や笑顔、気配り、コミュニケーション力がとても大切だと感じました。

もし私がずっと「勉強ができることが一番大切」という環境だけで過ごしていたら、社会に出るまでこのことに気づかなかったかもしれません。

高校時代のクラスメートたちは、私に「世の中にはいろいろな才能があり、評価されるポイントも一つではない」ということを、少し早く教えてくれました。

今振り返ると、彼らとの出会いは、私の価値観にとても大きな影響を与えてくれたと思います。

勉強ができることも素晴らしい。
でも、それだけが人の魅力ではない。
自分の得意なことや、自分らしい魅力を持っていることも、とても大切なのだと思います。

The people who influenced me were not just one teacher or a famous person. They were my unique classmates from high school.

Until junior high school, I studied quite hard. At school, students who were good at studying were often highly regarded and popular in class, so I naturally came to think that being good at studying was very important.

At the same time, I had been playing the Electone since I was young, and at that time I was practicing with the goal of becoming a professional musician. So when I chose a high school, instead of choosing an academically competitive school, I chose one close to my home where it would be easier for me to prioritize music practice and competitions.

What surprised me when I entered that high school was that my classmates did not really have the idea that studying was the most important thing.

Some were working with talent agencies, some were working as models, and others were going to racetracks to practice because they wanted to become professional motorcycle racers. Each of them had their own dreams and special talents.

Until then, I think somewhere inside me I had believed that, as a student, the people who were good at studying were the most impressive.

But as I spent time with those classmates, I began to strongly feel that a person’s charm and talent are not determined by academic ability alone.

In the end, I did not pursue a career in music. Instead, I studied English and then entered the working world. I worked at a bank and later at a hotel, and during those experiences I often remembered what I had learned in high school.

Of course, there were many highly educated and talented people. But once you start working, you realize that academic background alone does not determine everything.

Some people had charming smiles and were loved by customers. Some had lots of energy and stamina and were always ready to take action. Others were good at communicating and easily gained people’s trust. People with many different strengths were successful in their own ways.

Especially when I worked at a hotel, I realized how important your impression on others, your smile, your thoughtfulness, and your communication skills can be.

If I had always stayed in an environment where people believed that being good at studying was the most important thing, I might not have realized this until I entered the working world.

My high school classmates taught me, a little earlier than I might otherwise have learned, that there are many different kinds of talent in the world and that people are valued for many different reasons.

Looking back now, I think meeting them had a very big influence on my values.

Being good at studying is wonderful.
But that is not the only thing that makes a person attractive or special.
I believe that having something you are good at and having your own unique qualities are also very important.