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A Trip to Tokyo

A Trip to Tokyo

Anna Ferrazzi ’19 traveled to Japan this summer to continue Dana Hall’s partnership with Tokyo Jogakkan School (TJK) by supporting their growing Model UN (MUN) program. 

Ferrazzi was a member of Dana Hall’s MUN team all four years of her high school career, serving as a tri-head for two years. “I signed up despite being an introvert and a shy public speaker,” she said. “I remember first participating in a small on-campus simulation of what a big conference on a college campus would look like. I was so nervous, but ended up having the most amazing time. I met upperclassmen who were so well-spoken and poised, and they told me I had potential after a few hours of debate! I was hooked, and MUN was my top priority besides my classwork and sports for the next four years.”

Heather Panahi, Social Studies teacher and former MUN advisor, connected Ferrazzi with a teacher at TJK, who arranged for her visit in July. She spent 10 days in Tokyo preparing Bernadette Luyckx’s 11th grade international class for their annual MUN conference, which, Ferrazzi said, “is built into the class as a capstone project and chance for each student to demonstrate her progress in English, public speaking, research, written communication, and social studies.” This year’s conference topic was Renewable Energy for Developing Countries.

“Anna was an absolute force in Model UN during her time at Dana Hall,” Panahi said. “Not only was she a skilled researcher, gifted debater and powerful negotiator, but also a true leader. When the time came to recommend a Dana alum to serve as advisor and chair at TJK’s annual Model UN Conference, this was a no-brainer.”

On her final day in Tokyo, Ferrazzi chaired TJK’s MUN conference and was blown away by the progress she’d seen in such a short time. “I watched several shy students break out of their shells with support from their peers, myself and Ms. Luyckx,” she said, “especially once I shared stories of times in my life, from oral examinations and small presentations in college to presenting my undergraduate thesis and my first law firm job, when I’ve struggled to be heard or nervous to use my voice. I shared how in those moments, I relied on the skills and strategies I built at Dana Hall, thanks to the DHMUN program.

“Most importantly, Ms. Luyckx and I were able to emphasize the ways in which issues like the conference topic disproportionately impact women, and exacerbate social issues like gender inequality and gender-based violence,” said Ferrazzi, who is currently a first-year law student at Fordham University School of Law. “I think the students walked away with not only improved skills and bigger dreams, but a new awareness of their privilege to be nurtured and grow under the wing of a single-sex school like Dana Hall.”

The TJK and Dana Hall partnership has deep roots. Crystal Brunelli, one of TJK’s international studies teachers, previously taught East Asian Studies at Dana in the early 2000s. This connection led to a student exchange between the two institutions for more than a decade, and annual summer TJK student visits to Dana Hall since 2017. In July, 27 TJK students and five faculty members, including Brunelli, spent a day at Dana Hall as part of their visit to the United States. In addition, a TJK student is currently spending her 10th grade year as a member of Dana Hall’s Class of 2027. 

Photos courtesy of Tokyo Jogakkan School

Students at Tokyo Jogakkan School who competed in a Model UN conference
TJK students participating in a Model UN conference