30 Under 30: Miyako Takashima

We recently asked you to nominate young leaders in North San Mateo County for Patch's "30 under 30" series recognizing young leaders.

We've been impressed by the talented and influential young people in our area, and now we bring you the first of our "30 under 30" profiles. We'll continue publishing them regularly until we hit 30, and we invite you to continue sending nominations of people who you feel should be honored. To nominate someone, send an email to drew@patch.com with the person's name, contact information and a short description of why they are a young leader.

Name: Miyako Takashima

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Residence: South San Francisco

What was your favorite part of high school?

My favorite part of high school was probably getting to try a lot of new things. I had never been in leadership before and I decided to try it. I learned that I love history. I learned that I love to travel. And during all this, I got to meet a ton of new people who have changed my life in some way. 

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I'm really proud of being ASB President. If you were to have told me I would become president when I was in elementary school or even high school, I would have never believed it. I was always that shy kid with one or two really close friends, so coming to a brand new high school in a new school district and not knowing anyone on my first day of school and becoming ASB president has really been unbelievable. 

What will you miss about high school?

I will definitely miss the people; from the teachers who I've built incredible bonds with to my close circle of friends. I know that leaving them all behind will definitely be the hardest thing to do, leaving what's comfortable is never easy. I know that come graduation day, I'll start bawling like a baby. 

What are your plans for next year?

Next year, I plan on attending American University in Washington, D.C. where I plan to major in International Relations and possibly double major in Business Administration. I'm really excited to be heading off to D.C. where I can find a lot of opportunities to work and intern in the field of government. 

What are your goals for the future?

I've always had this crazy dream of becoming Ambassador for a nation or Secretary of State, but as I grow a little older, my dreams have become more focused. So right now, I'm looking into becoming a Foreign Service Officer as I am really interested in Foreign Policy. However, I am still pursuing that Business Administration degree, because after my trip in Nicaragua, I realized that I might want to start a non-profit organization to help underdeveloped nations in promoting education. Again, I love to dream big, but I'll definitely have to see where life leads me.