101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard

Ethan Sawyer  0:00  
Ethan This is Ethan Sawyer, aka College Essay Guy, and my goal is to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college application process. Welcome to the College Essay Guy podcast, where I interview some of the most brilliant minds in the college admissions world try and tease out their genius and then try and break down that genius into practical, actionable steps that you can take, whether you're applying to college yourself or helping someone else apply. My goal here is to go beyond the obvious and beyond the basics. Why? Because, honestly, you can Google the basics. You can find that just about anywhere here. I'm interested in next level stuff, so I'm always striving to find the more efficient, more creative, more fun way of doing something, whether it's showing you how to develop a college list in one day or how to improve a personal statement in 20 minutes, both of which you'll learn how to do on this podcast. Now, normally, I'll be interviewing admissions professionals, but I wanted to start with a student named Daishi Tanaka for a few reasons. Number one, he's an incredible human being with an inspiring story, which you'll soon hear. Number two, he happens to be undocumented, and under the new administration, a lot of questions have been coming up for students and parents and even teachers and counselors. Big things like, you know, what does this mean in terms of changes and more specific things, like, should students reveal themselves as undocumented in their personal statements? So I wanted to interview Daishi to get his perspective on this, since he's on the front lines of this debate and just on a human level, I wanted to find out from Daishi what it's like living as an undocumented college student under a Trump administration while attending Harvard University. So quick. Side note, there are many wonderful colleges out there, and Harvard is just one of them. One of my goals on this podcast is to introduce you to some of the non Ivy League schools that are really great. But I elected to start with Daishi, and he just happens to attend Harvard. So this is also a special episode, because it's a two part episode, and in the next episode, I interviewed Dr Eliza Gilbert, who is a 2017 counselors that change lives, recipient whose dissertation examined how high schools influence an undocumented student's college search. She also talks about how counselors and teachers can advocate for undocumented students. So be sure to check it out on this episode, the one you're about to listen to, we discuss, among other things, what a typical day is like for a Harvard student. We talk about what it might mean for Daishi and 700,000 plus undocumented students if the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that's called DACA policy is repealed. We talk about what he wrote his college essay on and why, what he felt like he really nailed in the college application process and how he stays calm and centered. You can find all the show notes at college essay guy.com/podcast where I'll share all the links and resources that we mentioned in the interview. So feel free to add the podcast to your favorite RSS feed or iTunes. You can also follow me on Twitter at College Essay Guy and the Facebook so without further ado, let's get into the show. My guest today is Daishi Tanaka. He's currently a sophomore at Harvard, studying government. And Daishi and I met when he was in high school, so this would have been, you know, like two and a half, or maybe even three years ago. Daishi was took one of my online courses, and we got to know each other. And he's kind of an amazing human being. And I hope I don't embarrass you here, Daishi, but I wanted to just say, like, just one example of his amazingness. His high school, they lost their counselor. Kind of through, is that through your junior year? Is that


Daishi Tanaka  3:38  
one that happened? Kind of sophomore through junior year, sophomore junior


Ethan Sawyer  3:41  
year. And so what does Daishi do? He steps up, and he's like, Well, I'll do the job of the counselor. Went online and researched, you know, all that needed researching and sort of and helped a lot of a lot of students through the process. And you know, he's also a head of an organization that would that he'll tell you about in a little bit, but I'm just really honored aishi to have you and really grateful that you agreed to do the podcast. Welcome.


Daishi Tanaka  4:08  
Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to talk to you and also talk to everyone listening. Yeah, so


Ethan Sawyer  4:16  
today, you know, I want to talk about your process in terms of what it was like applying to college. I want to talk a little bit about what it's like. Well, let's start with there. Like, what's it like being at Harvard? I know that I kind of pulled a curve there, but what's it like? Like, give me your Give me your typical day. You know, we're recording this on a Sunday. What is your typical day at Harvard? Like, okay,


Daishi Tanaka  4:40  
I think Sundays are very varied, but I would start with like the Monday, because Mondays are the usual suspect of the daily routine. But I would wake up around nine o'clock, get breakfast, had to class, and you know, just you. Go to classes, work in between, and, you know, get your meals.


Ethan Sawyer  5:06  
How is the food? By the way, how? What's a Harvard breakfast like? For you? A


Daishi Tanaka  5:10  
Harvard breakfast? So as an upperclassman, you don't really get a glorious breakfast, unlike you do the freshman. So you know, a Harvard breakfast for me would just look like, you know, yogurt, some, you know, ham, some eggs, that's about it. But, you know, I would try to get a great lunch. There's, you know, Harvard has an amazing dining hall, especially with a meal plan that you get unlimited access to all the foods anytime. And so it's really nice.


Ethan Sawyer  5:38  
And you say anytime it's open, like, 24, hours or,


Daishi Tanaka  5:42  
Oh, actually, there is, like, a certain time restriction. So every meal they're open around for like two, three hours every meal. So it's not that bad. And, yeah, they feed. They keep us well fed. As I have gained some pounds over the


Ethan Sawyer  5:58  
years. Did you gain the freshman 15 when you got to school?


Daishi Tanaka  6:01  
Yeah, I definitely did, which is not, you know, a good thing for me, but at the same time, I was happy that would be, I was being well fed. So, yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  6:11  
but for those who don't know the freshman 15, by the way, is like, well, you could tell them, what is the freshman 15? Daishi. So


Daishi Tanaka  6:17  
basically, as you enter college and you are, you know, eating the dorm food and college food, you tend to gain weight because it's a completely different type of cuisine that you're eating, and it's a type of it's a different type of frequency of eating. And so you end up gaining some weight, and hopefully, and it starts to go down as you enter a fresh sophomore year, because you realize that, wow, I got fat and I need to work out. And, yeah, that's what's the freshman 15 is


Ethan Sawyer  6:48  
awesome. All right, so take us keep going through your day. What do you see you go to class. What classes are you taking right now?


Daishi Tanaka  6:53  
So currently, on Mondays, I take a sophomore tutorial on government. It's a tutorial on democracy. So on Mondays at 130 I would enter this big lecture hall from renowned professors that switch up each week. The last week we had a professor teach us about political philosophy, dating the differences between the ancients and the modern conceptions of democracy, which is really fascinating. So that's about Monday, but I'm also taking other courses, like I'm taking a graduate seminar in the education school in the university about immigration policy and contemporary education reform and so really interesting courses. Another class I'm taking is Spanish, because I want to perfect my Spanish. But my last class, which is probably the most interesting and the most sought after at Harvard, is called X boss 40, which is a public speaking class. And every week, you give a speech, or you learn tips on how to speak to a group of people. And it translates to a sort of tutorial on not only talking in front of a crowd, but learning how to be mindful of your body as you speak. And it is definitely a class that is very sought after, and I was very lucky to have been able to take it as a sophomore. Awesome.


Ethan Sawyer  8:28  
So what are, what are, what's, what's, what's a typical evening like for you at school,


Daishi Tanaka  8:34  
a typical evening might consist of, you know, going to my residential dining hall, eating a meal with my closest friends and roommates, and then, you know, playing a game of pool in the lounge area, playing some ping pong, and then really getting into the the, you know, down and dirty with the with the studying and the work. So I would track to the library or just trek to my dormitory, and maybe until midnight ish I would we would just all work and hustle quietly and humbly. And


Ethan Sawyer  9:12  
is Harvard easier or harder than you thought it was going


Daishi Tanaka  9:14  
to be? It is 500% more harder than I thought it would


Ethan Sawyer  9:18  
be. Really Yes, say more, wow.


Daishi Tanaka  9:22  
I mean, I think that Harvard has been definitely one of the most challenging places I've ever been. Not, it's not, I mean, yes, the studying and the actual work is difficult, but for me it's about learning how to be a, I guess a free agent, if you will, with all these variables with adulthood, you know, finding career opportunities, finding internship opportunities, let alone finding yourself within the world that you're in. It's a very fascinating place filled with people that are world class and have amazing passions. And so you learn how to discuss. Over yourself in the sense that you try to find what you love. How do you stand out and find appreciation for the inherent qualities that you possess? Those really intangible things that you learn are what really challenges me every day, besides the school work.


Ethan Sawyer  10:18  
Wow, what surprised you did anything, surprise you about school, anything that you didn't expect.


Daishi Tanaka  10:25  
I think so, especially at Harvard. You know, back in my whole hometown and back in high school, I was relatively one of the more, I guess, you know, talented or more hard working, more gifted, as you know, teachers might say. And so I definitely thought, wow, I have some, some sort of confidence that I can, you know, derive my confidence from, and, and, but coming into Harvard, where, you, you know, I definitely thought I was the lowest of low. And you definitely that was a big surprise. I guess the social academic atmosphere in relation to your peers, that was a huge surprise. But then, you know, what even surprised me more was how I navigated around that, you know, which was through self reflection, evaluating my inherent qualities as a human being, not as a student, but as you know a friend, you know a 19 year old teenager. You know those, those things really helped me overcome those sense of insecurities, to find what I feel is what I can be proud of about myself. Yeah.


Ethan Sawyer  11:39  
Wow. What? What helped you? What? Whether it was resources or books or, I don't know if you went to any groups or anything, what helped you through that self reflection process, or was it all just a solo endeavor,


Daishi Tanaka  11:53  
you know, just with any other things in life? I mean, most, a large chunk and most of it's just a solo reflection, solo endeavor. But what that all the fruits of the of, you know, self reflecting, you know, it was rooted in, you know, my the community that I've built at Harvard, definitely. So what I mean by my community is, you know, my roommates, who are my best friends, who come from all walks of life, teaching me different perspectives and helping me understand the intangible qualities that I've gained from my own experiences, therefore making my own qualities that I have externally gained a salient factor in my Life. At the same time, a community of undocumented students at Harvard, students who have shared and similar experiences and can empathize with a lot of the things that I've gone through to be to the place that I am today that so this sort of the people at Harvard have supported me through this process and all of those experiences, you know, I've really make it. I really, I guess, digest it in the self reflection time and just solo journey throughout the throughout the years. Yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  13:14  
what's it like being an undocumented student at Harvard?


Daishi Tanaka  13:17  
So being an undocumented student at Harvard, you know, many times you can feel alone, many times you can feel a little bit out of place. Reason being is that the majority of the demographic population at Harvard, you know, comes from more affluent, more privileged backgrounds, and so it's very easy to feel like, wow, other people are doing a lot more things that I can't do, not by academic or social reasons, but just legal reasons. And you can feel those, you know, things that you can do. But


Ethan Sawyer  13:58  
what are some of those things like? How is your life different from you feel like the average Harvard student?


Daishi Tanaka  14:03  
Well, I guess on a day to day level, being undocumented, you know, one of the things about being undocumented is that you're most more likely to, you know, be of a lower socio economic status coming in and so not having that sort of academic rigor, rigorous education, not having those skills from a prestigious High School, kind of, you know, puts a disadvantage on you, because you have to catch up to the same difficulty level as any other one, any other peer at Harvard, right? And so on that level, not having the best reading skills, not having the best writing. You know, backgrounds, that is a day to day disadvantage. But then again, on the long term, I think being undocumented things like traveling, so you have opportunities to travel a lot at Harvard, you can take. You know, semesters abroad you can take, you know, vacations abroad. And Harvard really welcomes that sort of transformative experience, utilizing the, you know, the world as a sort of global platform. And so you kind of miss out on those opportunities from a social, you know, perspective. You know, sometimes friends want to go some go to, you know, some vacation spot internationally, you know, go to Canada, go to Mexico, go to Europe, or something, just for vacation purposes. And, and when they invite you, you you know, either they're already cognizant, and so they're like, Oh, actually, you know, sorry about that, or you have to let them know. And so those little things, I think, yeah, tell


Ethan Sawyer  15:47  
me about, are there any conversations that you can remember recently with friends that, you know, a quick story, maybe, of like somebody that you talked to and you had that kind of conversation, you know? What did that conversation? What was that like? Like? How did that go?


Daishi Tanaka  16:00  
So I'm the thing about myself is that I'm currently a very vocal activist for undocumented students, and I'm a lot more comfortable about talking about my status when meeting new people, so I don't have as much difficulty compared to some other you know, undocumented students. But I do remember, you know, when my roommates and I, we were planning what to do over spring break or what to do over summer break together in sort of a recreational event. You know, they offered to go abroad, and then I kind of had to say, Oh man, I can't go and there, and they said, Oh, yeah, totally. Like, we understand. Sorry about bringing that up. And then all my friends try to accommodate that. And now we're planning to go, you know, do like a trip on the East Coast rather than trip abroad? So, so, yeah, something like that. Sometime happens. Wow, that's really cool.


Ethan Sawyer  17:01  
Give me a sense of, I'm just curious to know, like, what it feels like. Do you feel like you you're having a different experience, or does it feel really similar to like, in other words, do you feel like just a regular college kid, or do you walk around feeling like my experience is different, and that's like, you know, something that's with you? Or, you know, what's, what's it like? I'm just trying to get a sense of like, even the feeling, especially like, within the last few months, like, I don't know, what has thing, have things shifted for you personally, since, since, you know, the election?


Daishi Tanaka  17:29  
Wow, that I think I can take probably months trying to answer that question, you know. But to just make it brief, walking around for me personally, you know, it's not something that is salient all the time. I mean, I for sure, I try to live as a normal, you know, Harvard student life as I can. And I think for me, it's a little bit different, because I started to embrace my status as a form of empowerment, as a form of a statement, and definitely something that I wrap my career around. And so, you know, I constantly utilize my status and face my status as something inherently part of me, and it's something that I've embraced, especially in the past two years at Harvard, and therefore it's not something that's scary or it's not something unwarranted. I know that other students who are undocumented, who do not really want anything to be a part of for their legal status to be a part of them, can feel different about that. But as for me, I feel like, you know, all of the extracurriculars that I do, my my perspective, career passions, are all interconnected with my legal status. Therefore my legal status is just another part of me that I can make salient whenever I can and whenever I don't want it, and so it has become a part of me, rather than something that I carry around into burden.


Ethan Sawyer  19:08  
What was that transition like for you? Like, what? What shifted from where you said it was like two years ago that you started to really embrace that. What was that change like for you? Why? Why do you think that shift happened? And what was that so,


Daishi Tanaka  19:20  
you know, I guess I can best describe it when, as I was undocumented high school student, you know, I was a regular high school student doing normal things except my legal status was sort of this shadowy, you know, imposing figure that was there that I can't really reach, nor can I really change. You know, my legal status was something that I had no control over, because, you know, it was all politics in my eyes, and whatever I did in high school, I just knew that some, some in some way. Way my legal status might or might not get in the way of the things that I want to do. And so it was very uncertain. Now, I guess at Harvard, you know, it's all of the uncertainties is still there legally and just circumstantially, by the way politics work. But instead of it, instead of letting it being shadowy and not controllable. I made a part of myself, as in, you know, whenever people introduced each other, and on a more personal level, you know, people would just say their name, where they come from, what they study and all that. But I would also include my immigration status. And that was a very bold move that you know, many undocumented students don't yet feel comfortable doing, but I did it in order for me to challenge myself, that if I can make a statement externally, then it could also be a statement internally, within myself, that it is a part of me. What is that statement? It's a statement that I have experienced experiences that are unique to me, but also common around the other you know, 11 million plus people around the country, you know, just like how individuals might say, I'm from Los Angeles, I'm from New York. I'm from, you know, Omaha, Nebraska, you know, you say something in order to sort of describe where you're from, describe your experiences, and I say that, you know, and I'm an undocumented student, or I'm a DACA student, because other individuals around the nation can share that experience, but also it encapsulates a lot of experiences and qualities that you've built with that sort of identifier.


Ethan Sawyer  21:48  
I want to hear more about in a few minutes. I want to have you share a little bit more about what that some of those experiences have been even in high school and before that. I want to just make sure our listeners understand what DACA is. Can you just explain briefly what that is?


Daishi Tanaka  22:01  
Yes. So DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It was a, it was an executive order that was enacted by President Obama back in 2012 and what it allows for is for certain undocumented youth with, you know, certain restrictions to have protection from deportation, but also work authorization, along with the ability to obtain a sick social security number, you know, driver licenses and other things that Most citizens need in order to live a productive, functional life in the US. And so now the current state of DACA is that it can be challenged and repealed by now President Trump, anytime that he wants. And so DACA, which 700,000 youth across the nation benefit from right now is, you know, up for repeal. And so it is a very hot and intriguing topic. Now this is not to get mixed up with undocumented, fully undocumented youth who don't have those protections and privileges of DACA. And so the other undocumented youth out there, which is more the majority, you know, don't have any of those privileges. And so it is a very, very difficult experience being an undocumented immigrant overall.


Ethan Sawyer  23:37  
And what happens? What happens if DACA is repealed. What happens, you know, personally for you, and I'm just curious your theory or your supposition about like, what might happen nationally? Yeah,


Daishi Tanaka  23:50  
so just externally, not internally. First of all, a lot of things can happen just primarily. It would, you know, add seven, 700,000 plus undocumented youth within the population that is target, or is targetable for deportation, and that's very dangerous, because many of those youth are, you know, intermingled within the American the fabrics of American society, whether that is education systems, you know, college students, high school students, but also people who have started companies, people who have who are working right now in big businesses. So it's very, very scary for those individuals to be subject deportation, let alone just not able to participate in the work place that they've rightfully earned, because their work authorization will then be repealed. So that's primary, and also externally, too, is that the it just strikes down the perspective hopeful immigration reform and the pathway to citizenship. For undocumented youth and undocumented immigrants, DACA was kind of a one step forward to protect undocumented immigrants, but without that, we're taking one step back. And so, you know, we are now farther away from immigration reform if it is repealed, I guess on an internal level, you know, if DACA is repealed, I will be joining the other 20 undocumented students at Harvard who don't have DACA. And what that entails is that, you know our it's really uncertain, because where do we work after college?


Ethan Sawyer  25:36  
What happens you work now? By the way, yes,


Daishi Tanaka  25:38  
I currently work at the with Harvard's administration, I could get into that later, but so without DACA, I wouldn't be able to have the same access to work, employment opportunities on campus and off campus, and just after college. You know what would happen? That's the big question that is profound and very, very scary.


Ethan Sawyer  26:06  
Yeah, what was it like? I'm just curious. On election night for you, did you watch the returns? Were you or were you? What was, what was it like, even those in a couple days leading up to it and a couple days after, right? So


Daishi Tanaka  26:21  
what? So I lead an organization on campus called act in a dream. We, we are a organization on campus that advocates for immigration reform and also tries to create a community on campus for immigrants. And on election night, I have helped organize a election watch party, sort of safe space for undocumented immigrants on campus to watch the election, be with other individuals who can empathize and just sort of have a safe space for discussion, whatever the outcome may be. Now it was one of the most tense moments of my life, because, you know, on the screen was someone who can destroy our lives and the fate of our families, right? And it was very, very scary for all of us, but for me, personally, I took around, you know, three hours just trying to digest that information personally, you know, taking walks outside, you know, shedding couple tears. But I just knew that I have to step I had to step up to support my fellow peers in the room. And so I've tried. I made sure that everyone got home safely, were able to talk to their families and just rest from a very, very tense night of just, you know, feeling very scared about everything, and I took a week or two off trying to digest everything, and, you know, trying to think of my next steps. And so the election night was a pivotal turning point of last semester, and perhaps for my entire for my life, and, yeah, it still has a lot of repercussions to this day about what I'm doing and what I want to do in the future. Yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  28:13  
it's hard to it's hard to imagine. I mean, just trying to put myself in that position and and feel what that might feel like, What makes you so brave? Like, why are you so willing to share your status? What gives you courage?


Daishi Tanaka  28:30  
I think what gives me my courage is externally. I'm not alone. You know, there are so many undocumented youth out there, equal and even with more capacity of being amazing activist and vocal proponents for immigration reform. And so for me, you know, I am just another activist trying to do my part by being vocal. And you know, externally, I definitely believe in the ability for a cultural shift to occur, you know, within the mindsets of Americans to reconsider defining what American means. And you know, I feel like for me, being vocal about my status is one way for us to create this sort of culture of questioning what immigration means to us and questioning what legality means to us. But internally, I think you know, all of my courage to speak up comes from the sacrifices that my parents have have made in order for me to be here. You know, with every word that I speak and every step that I take, you know, it's it derived. It was, it's derived from this and in the sweat and the tears that my parents shed leading up to my college years. And so I just know that I have to believe in myself in order for whatever I want to do to happen. And so I think on those ends, that's how I really derive my all the qualities that I have today


Ethan Sawyer  30:10  
I'm interested in, you know what? Well, I know this question, the answer this question already, but what did you choose to write your college essay on? I know it's a leading question, but one that I have to ask, yeah,


Daishi Tanaka  30:23  
so I had to write two, two essays for Harvard. My main essay was basically about my, my immigrant story and experience, you know, coming being biracial, half Japanese, half Filipino, kid in in Japan, immigrating. What do you have it nearby? Would you be down to share it with us? Yes, definitely. So the prompt was, some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity and please, basically, please share your story. Oh say, Oh say, Oh say. I scolded myself with the Japanese words, meaning push, push, push. As I tried to keep up with a pace in the morning run, a tree snagged my foot and I plummeted into the mud. Blood dripped down my knees. The other kids roared in laughter and left me behind. I was the only overweight kid in the kindergarten of my hometown of Shizuoka. A year later, I moved to the US and walked into my elementary school with my only English vocabulary consisting of the word hello, I spent days trying to figure out the words for the Pledge of Allegiance. How can I memorize all of those crazy words? The changes were overwhelming, and I wanted to reject them, but I knew I had to adapt. I managed to become fluent in English in three months and rise as a shining student of my second grade class over time, I realized I carried the responsibility of being the first one in my family to go to the university, and so I became determined to reach higher education. However, I never found a stable home, being undocumented, my family and I constantly moved from house to house, city to city, following the path of available jobs while being locked with constant financial struggle, I often found myself sleeping in the houses of relatives while my parents were off in distant cities trying to make ends meet. Cases of financial and legal problems between my parents and my relatives left me homeless at one point, leaving me no choice but to live with a friend for three months to finish the second grade. The pace of change seemed too fast to keep up. When choosing a high school to attend, I came across a very new school panorama, high school, which was largely disliked by middle school teachers and students due to its lack of competitive academic programs and a reputation for getting involvement despite the common word. I saw how the school was criticized by people who put no effort into improving the campus and its community. How can a school become great without anyone taking action? I realized that the school was just like my childhood self in Japan, in a sense that it was looked down upon and left behind. I wanted to do something. I took the most rigorous classes the school was able to offer and try to influence the school's prestige as a student, no matter how trivial it seemed, I was going crazy when I was voted to be the first president of the school's first Honor Society, and when I scored the highest SAT score in the history of the campus, as my team and I won the first varsity swimming League Championship, the kid trying to memorize the Pledge of Allegiance became the swimmer streaming his team chant before the battle. That's when I knew I was part of this country and that this country was a part of me. More importantly, my experiences at panorama High School opened my eyes about social change. What can I do for the other immigrants this country or the world? I became passionate about studying government and set my sights on becoming a lawyer and one day a politician. Right now, the debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform intrigues me the most. Should this country enact a law that guarantees a safe path for citizenship upon residing undocumented immigrants? Who knows? But this country won't know unless we make the initial leap for change. I see my childhood self in this country for I believe that it is rejecting the intimidating and round the clock changes of the current decade, but my current self, but like my current self, we must embrace those changes and prevent people from being left behind. In the mud. Great things can truly begin with a little or say, or say, Oh say, Wow.


Ethan Sawyer  35:06  
I got goosebumps. Man, what a powerful story. I haven't looked at that, obviously, in like, two years, but the moment so a colleague of mine, Park Muth, who's gonna be a guest on the podcast, he says something like, you know, great essays have like, a perfect line in them. And to me, the perfect line in this essay is the moment when you recognized that the school externally was a representation of your former internal self. And you've been talking about external, internal in a really interesting way in this interview. And that recognition, to me, is that like moment of insight that just like explodes in my mind and really takes this thing to the next level.


Daishi Tanaka  35:45  
Wow. Thank you. Thank you so


Ethan Sawyer  35:47  
much. Tell me, what was it like? What was it like writing this essay? How many drafts did you write? How long did it take you to write it?


Daishi Tanaka  35:53  
So I mean, I was very just detail oriented, and I wanted to write a great essay. I went through so many drafts. I know Ethan is well aware that went through, like, I definitely remember counting more than 20 drafts of my personal essay and on this with like, a span of, like nine six months, like, just going crazy over the essay. So it took a lot of time. I definitely know that it might take, definitely a lot less time for a quality essay.


Ethan Sawyer  36:28  
But yeah, when did you know? When did you know you were done with the essay?


Daishi Tanaka  36:33  
I don't think you never really know if you're done with the essay. I mean, for me, I just wrote this essay, and I just felt it was the most comprehensive about myself. I tried a lot of different styles, writing more artistically, writing more, you know, in a different format, more challenging format, or something different. But I remember recording back to, like, my first, you know, great draft. So, you know, one of my first great drafts. It was very similar to my final draft that I have right now. And I remember really late in the writing process that, you know, what I initially thought was great was what it is, and I kind of stuck to that format of just being true to myself about my story.


Ethan Sawyer  37:22  
Why did you choose to open with these the first few words, Oh say, Oh say, Oh say. And what does that mean? Tell what you tell the tell everybody what that means.


Daishi Tanaka  37:30  
So it means push, push, push in Japanese, and I wanted to start with it because, you know, for one it was literally what I was telling myself back then, you know. And two, it really just opened up with a sort of descriptor about myself, you know, being Japanese, being some, someone that is trying to constantly push myself to do things and challenge myself. And third, I think it was a very fascinating parallel between pushing myself and also pushing the country that I was in, pushing other things externally, and all of that kind of, you know, were in consideration when I wrote that, I just


Ethan Sawyer  38:16  
got chills again. That's, it's such a powerful and in a way, simple opening, you know, with just three words, three words, repeat it. But it's so effective. And I think, you know, I really love it and, and I love that you come back to it at the end too. As a sort of refrain, it becomes like a theme for the essay, push, push, push. There's also, because I'm a dad now, you know, I have a two year old baby. I'm thinking of being in the birthing room and having hearing the doctor, the nurses say to my wife, push, push, push. And you're probably not aware of this, but it's having that resonance for me as as a kind of giving birth to something new, you know. So as a reader, as a listener, it has even more resonance, you know, that you, I don't imagine you were aware of, like, you know, working that in, but with something so specific and so simple, like that, you know, it can just ripple out,


Daishi Tanaka  39:11  
right? I mean, being like, second year college student and reading back to what I submitted for the college that I'm in. It's a really interesting it's a real experience, yeah, what's that like? Yeah. I mean, it's really interesting, because I really feel like I haven't lost that side of me. And, you know, obviously the narrative has now continued. This was merely what I wrote. Seems like only Chapter One of now many chapters that I have lived through and but the theme about my story to this day, and with all the additional chapters that have not have now been written, I still feel like there is a certain theme that's going that's going through it, and it's really surreal and very profound to think about that. Yeah, and what


Ethan Sawyer  40:00  
is that theme? Is it? Are you talking about the theme that I mentioned, or is it something else,


Daishi Tanaka  40:04  
I guess, yeah, like, just the theme about, sort of challenging myself, and, you know, pushing myself, and these parallels within my life, about finding change within myself and finding change outside of myself and in the world that I live in. And, yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  40:24  
wow, what? What are you What did you do really well in the application process? And what do you regret? In other words, what would you have done differently? So some advice to This is advice to all the students out there listening, what do you think you really nailed and what do you think you screwed up or would have done differently? Right?


Daishi Tanaka  40:42  
I think what I really nailed was, so for me personally, the application, the college application process was, you know, not only pushing me to challenge myself and kind of open up a new world for college, it was really opening up a world with inside, within myself. You know, you don't really get to as a teenager going through this experience, I haven't really self reflected much, and I have never really given myself that opportunity to do so. And so the best thing that I feel like I nailed was taking a step back, finding these themes throughout my life, connecting these dots and creating a narrative within myself that I can make it salient and I could carry it with me like a sort of you know, book about my life that is currently being written, and it was powerful. So that sort of self reflection process is what I definitely recommend students to kind of integrate within this process, not seeing it as sort of plug and chug, you know, equation, but a sort of like its own story, that you're like a unique story that you're writing for yourself, that you're sharing with someone. And before you get


Ethan Sawyer  41:58  
to the second part, give me some give us some tips or things that you remember from that time, you know, how, when did you start? You know, what were certain things along the way that were like, crucial for, you know, for your development as it were, like, what, what helped, what worked for you?


Daishi Tanaka  42:14  
So I guess tangibly, I remember taking your exercises like the, you know, object exercises, values, exercises that really kind of set the tone according to how I should be able, how I should be looking at things. It's not about the list of accomplishments or the list of, you know, extracurriculars and stuff. It was about the motivations that kind of kind of fueled or stemmed that rooted everything that is on the surface. And I think kind of thinking about it from that perspective, you know, not just seeing the face value of what you want to talk about, but seeing the reasons and all of the intangible things that goes into what led up to that. I think that those exercises helped us so much from there, you know, I think just trying to analyze patterns, trying to analyze, you know, although you might not be conscious of the things that you're you're doing throughout childhood, there definitely is, and there was A reason why you did those things. And so kind of reflecting a lot, you know, talking to your parents about, you know, what happened about, you know, in certain moments in your life in which you might have forgotten, you know, everything is connected. And so that is sort of, kind of the steps I took. I want


Ethan Sawyer  43:37  
to jump in and say to the listener that, oh, by the way, Daishi still also did have, he said, you know, you said it wasn't about the GPA and the test scores and activities, but also, Daishi did happen to have a really great GPA and great test scores. And everybody's out there wondering, like, what were they? I don't, you don't, don't, you don't have to tell us. But I'll just say, you know, from having worked with them that he had an awesome, I mean, you were ranked, you know, towards the top of your class, right? And had the highest, you know, test score that your school had ever seen, and had some really interesting activities, including this thing that we mentioned earlier, that I'd love for you to just tell us the story real quick about what happened with your counselor, because this ended up becoming your second essay. Correct?


Daishi Tanaka  44:16  
Yes. So I have it with me. I don't know if that should be read or not. Feel


Ethan Sawyer  44:21  
free to. I mean, if you want, just tell us the story. We'd love to just hear it. What maybe I can, like, post a link to it so people can hear it. I'll put it in the show notes.


Daishi Tanaka  44:28  
Awesome. So essentially, my high school was a very new high school in a very disadvantaged location. The administration was more focused on, you know, helping students graduate. And because of lack of funding for counselors, although a counselor may have had college counselor as a subtitle from upon the list of responsibilities, no one really act as a college counselor. No one really helped COVID. College or students reach higher education. And so I remember in junior year, in the beginning of junior year, when, you know, there were talks of, you know, ds 80 being like a thing, you know, no one knew what that was. You know, everyone just heard that there is going to be, you know, registration. But no one knew what the test was about no one knew how to take it. It was a very profound and very, very, also scary experience, hearing an announcement that, hey, this counselor has sat fee waivers. Come pick it up. But no one had a single clue about what they were doing. So I explicitly remember there was a line to pick up these fee waivers to take this test, you know, because most of the students can't afford to pay the full amount. And in this line, you know, people got the fee waivers and they were told to register to take the test. But no one knew anything. And but, you know, when I saw that, and that was in the line, I knew I had to do something, and I was one of the only students who had prior experience with taking the SAT early on, and so I just hopped out of line. And, you know, I stepped up, and I helped every student apply to register for the SAT with those fee waivers and things like that, and that really initiated a very interesting sequence of events, as taught throughout the junior and senior year, I started to help students with other college things, and eventually, the head Counselor at my school recognized that. And because there wasn't, you know, I guess, a de facto counselor who did all this job, she she put me as an official student position, sort of like a student college counselor, in order to help students in the long run. And so that was sort of my extracurricular that was started and, yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  47:05  
it's so awesome. And the ending to your essay the way you phrase it, I won't spoil it. I encourage folks to list, to take a look at it and read it. It's, it's got a really great ending, and it you do a really nice job of tying things up in a really succinct way too. Like, I think it ended up being, you know, like, 350 words. Yeah, because your your main essay, I think, was 650 so. And what, you know, just to kind of let people in on what you were saying earlier about the UCs, this was when the University of California had two essays that were 1000 words. You know, it's changed now, but it allowed you to show well, let me ask you, like, why did you choose to talk about these two topics? You know, of all the things that you could write about. And secondly, I'd love for you to talk a little bit about what it was like to, in a way, come out in your essay. You know, to to, basically, yeah, to talk about your undocumented status. So maybe the first one, why did you pick those two topics? And then what? What was like the this, what was the decision like to come out as it were? Okay?


Daishi Tanaka  47:59  
So one I chose these topics. Well, the first topic being a holistic narrative about my life, because I want to give the admission officer a full picture of everything that you know culminated within my years, being an undocumented student, being a student in a new country, being an immigrant. I really wanted to sort of give that perspective that they haven't seen before, because usually you don't get much undocumented students applying to these colleges. And so I really wanted to be explicit about that, and two or sorry, with my second essay that is about the college thing, or the being a college student, college counselor. I wanted to show that I can step up to the plate, although the intangible qualities of being undocumented and being an immigrant can shine. I wanted to really show that, like on a merit basis, that I have those initial qualities to step up to the plate, challenge myself, and have a lot of sort of, I guess, academic and professional qualities in order for me to be disquiet distinguished as an applicant. And so that's sort of personal, but both also professional sort of perspectives I wanted to integrate, which is why I chose those topics, right?


Ethan Sawyer  49:26  
That's and I thought it was really smart. I remember when we first talked about that it showed, in some sense, the first essay showed about who you are, and the second essay talked about what you've done. And I think that's a really nice balance, that it wasn't and neither one is so poetic. Like, there are definitely poetic elements in both of them, but both were also pretty informational, which I really liked, actually,


Daishi Tanaka  49:50  
right? I mean, I definitely tried writing new drafts that were a lot more poetic, and I remember


Ethan Sawyer  49:58  
some of those. I was like, I remember. Reading them and going, like, what's going on here? Like, I don't even understand what's happening anymore, but I really appreciated that you were, you know, iterating and, you know, just writing and rewriting and trying to find the voice, and it ended up just coming out beautifully, just so authentic. And so, you know, it's just like you talking, and as I hear you read it, I'm like, Oh yeah, that sounds like Daishi talking. That's something that I think was really you read. Really nailed to tell me about coming out. And I know I keep using this term. I don't know if it feels that way for you, but what was that experience like in that process, that mental process, like for you? And also, would you recommend it to other students that can kind of be like a thing? Yeah, yeah.


Daishi Tanaka  50:37  
Okay, so I guess with the reason why I included in my first essay primarily was because being undocumented was a huge part of my personal story. You know, a personal statement is about you and and being undocumented being you know that having that sort of status defined and set a lot of undertones within my own story, you know, showing the circumstances in which I had to make certain decisions. Thus, I just thought it was necessary for me to put that in there and sort of come out to the admission officer. But also, one of the reasons why is because I knew that the admissions officer who is looking or reading this app, these, all these applications, must want to see different perspectives about the world, and must want to have students who can provide these unique experiences to contribute to their campus, you know. So, you know, although throughout my life, I always thought being undocumented, it was something that held you back in this circumstance. It was a way for me to use it as something that is going to push me forward. You know, all of it really was, you know, a moment for me to embrace. It was a start of me embracing my status as something that can help me, that's something that is powerful for me. And yeah, and I think that's one of the reasons. And when it comes to other students, or those who are listening, yeah,


Ethan Sawyer  52:06  
what do you say to those, first of all, beautifully put, I love what you just said. And secondly, what do you say to those, those students out there who are listening and going, I'm kind of afraid, and they're a little worried, especially now, you know, is there, is there reason for them to be afraid in coming out in their college essay as undocumented?


Daishi Tanaka  52:21  
So I would say that definitely, if it's such an integral part of your story, if it's an integral part of who you are, you should definitely put it in there. And even if you don't think it has had a lot of repercussions in your life, maybe, or it had a lot of impact it might have had. So please think about it, reflect upon it, and see how it could have intermingled within who you are today. And I highly recommend students to put it on in their personal statement, despite whatever is going on in the world, because, for the most part, college campuses are all focused with this objective of trying to enrich their campus with different perspectives, trying to gather students who are talented enough to overcome challenges, and students who can, you know, use those skills of overcoming challenges to overcome further challenges and solve problems in the world. I mean, I really can't emphasize enough how much I recommend students of putting it in their applications when it comes to certain colleges around the nation and being mindful of that, I mean, I still think for all colleges, most of admissions officers are very mindful that there are undocumented youth across the nation who are applying, and therefore I still recommend putting it in there.


Ethan Sawyer  53:39  
Tell us about the day you got in. What was that like?


Daishi Tanaka  53:44  
Wow, that was I still get chills thinking about it, and we I have a recording of it, so I still get chills watching it sometimes, but basically, I get, I have gathered my closest friends, and I invited them into my home with my parents, and we had sort of like opening letter party type thing, you know, we had food, and it was nice. And we when we started opening the letters, I applied to five other IV or four other IB schools besides Harvard, and I remember that all of them had different application portals, and I didn't. It was hard for me to remember all the usernames and passwords, so it was very difficult for me to open up all of them electronically. But I remember opening up, you know, for example, Brown University's letter, and I was rejected. And then I remember opening up, you know, Columbia rejection, Princeton rejection, Yale, then, like, rejection, and then the last one, which was Harvard. And I made that last because, you know, Harvard has always been my dream campus, and all of my friends and my. Family knew that was my goal, and so when I logged into the portal, it was like I had no trouble logging in. So that was one first like sign that it was gonna be okay or something. And then when I click continue, and it said, like, congratulations. Welcome to Harvard, 2020, or 2019 and just went we just went crazy. The roof shook. We were all screaming and crying. And I just looked to my parents, and they had this look, and I felt the feeling of this expression, which illustrated how everything was worth it, all the sacrifices, all the pain, all of the bad memories, all like culminated and flourished something beautiful. And it was just everything was just worth it. And it was a moment of my life that was transformative, and it opened up a new door into something that a world in which I have never expected. Yeah, it was amazing night.


Ethan Sawyer  56:04  
Wow. I remember getting an email from you all caps, you know, Ethan, I got into Harvard, and it was like, all the way across my screen. I don't remember where it was, but I just remember like tears in my eyes and like showing my wife and like us having us, probably not the same moment, but kind of a mini roof comes off. Moment just so excited for you, and it's, yeah, it's still such a trip to like, think back to that. Does it feel real now to be do you feel like, okay, I'm definitely in this. Or do you still sometimes feel like, is it still like, you know, because I imagine that it would be kind of you mentioned it was kind of surreal. Does it, do you still have surreal moments, or is it still, does it feel now like, Okay, this is my life.


Daishi Tanaka  56:46  
I mean, I think it has already sunk, sunken for me, and it's really a huge part of my life, and but it took a while for it to get this way. You know, definitely last year as a freshman, always felt surreal. It always felt like, wow, I'm at Harvard. But also it always felt like, wow, I'm at Harvard, from a negative standpoint, like I don't belong here, or, you know, it's not, I'm not necessarily fully, I guess, integrated within the fabric of Harvard history yet. And so it felt a little bit foreign sometimes last semester or last year, that is. But now, as a sophomore, you know, as in this in his second semester, I feel my friend told me something over this past winter break that kind of changed my outlook, about how I view about myself, about in Harvard, he told me that, you know now that we're, you know, second semester sophomores. You do realize that we're no longer looking to be this Harvard standard anymore. We are Harvard, you know, whatever Harvard is through the world. We define that through our actions as, you know, sophomores and as upperclassmen. And that really sunk down to this semester that wow, doesn't matter what I'm doing, and if it's you know, in how it compares to the standard of being a Harvard student, because whatever I'm doing now is the standard, you know, and so now it really sunk in for me, and it's a huge part of my life


Ethan Sawyer  58:28  
that's beautiful, though I love that you said, being part of the fabric of Harvard, and I'm thinking, I'm particularly inspired by your work with act on a dream, and I'd love to hear just a little bit more about what the future looks like, and how will you lead through act on a dream.


Daishi Tanaka  58:45  
Yeah, so act on a dream is a growing, constantly evolving student organization, and we advocate for immigration reform and create a community on campus. And, you know, I think we have achieved so much in the past year. Acting a dream has been around for around 10 years now. It started off being a organization in which students that were iffy about immigration status came together and kind of like talked about it, you know, the status of the way it was run before, can be some but summed up by the fact that couple years ago, the CO directors of the organization didn't even know each other. Were undocumented. You know, it was that sort of tense. It was that sort of, you know, the narrative wasn't there before DACA. Now after DACA, when students had more of a confidence to talk about their status, it changed dramatically. It became an organization in which we celebrate being undocumented, or we try to emphasize the qualities that we have gained through. Experience. Use that sort of, you know, a form of narrative therapy, if you will, trying to utilize all of the negative emotions, all of the bad things that comes with being undocumented and owning up to that and seeing how it we can use it as a tool to empower ourselves and using that to sort of create a culture on campus that immigration is a common, natural, beautiful thing that everyone can relate to. And so how does it look like? Well, you know, in after the election, it it now took another sort of step in its evolution, the Harvard administration looked to act in our dream as the sole student voice, in order to implement a lot of support and other student organization, you know, did a lot of the external organizing and external pressure as we played this de facto role of sort of being liaisons for the undocumented student voice. And ever since then, through all of the pieces, not only with acting a dream, but other organizations and other powerful allies, you know, we were able to achieve. You know, recently, a fellow for undocumented students in the office, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. We been able to convince administration of establishing the first undocumented or a website, university wide web, website dedicated to undocumented students and, you know, make have Memorial Church, which is our Main Campus Church, be a century sanctuary church, and all these amazing things you know about all of this led up to a lot of wow, like tremendous months of advocacy. I remember I was leading a group of undocumented students act in a dream and also beyond, to have a meeting with Drew Faust, who is the president of Harvard University, and I was leading this group, and we were prepping for it and everything. And then I remember leading them into the office, and we sat down with her, and we were pushing so hard for a sanctuary campus, and that was one of the most redefining or defining experiences of you know, of our club, but also myself and all of this advocacy work wouldn't have been possible with the amazing people in Harvard who are passionate about this work, and that's who, that's what acting the dream is. And we'll continue this work to use our Harvard voice to advocate for undocumented immigrants and


Ethan Sawyer  1:02:41  
beyond amazing. I want to wrap up here in a minute. I just want to hear from you What two things. One is, what, first of all, what advice would you give to students as they're going through this process? It could be something practical, or it could be something, you know, intangible, like, what would you say to students who are aspiring, not necessarily undocumented immigrant students, but any students who are going through this college process,


Daishi Tanaka  1:03:08  
wow. Okay, I think that you really, really have to believe in yourself. It's so hard to do that because, you know, obviously, the you always hear about the next best person you know, you always think about your own, about your insecurities, you know about things you don't have, and you always you end up forgetting the things that you do have, and all of the blessings that have led you to This place outside of yourself and within yourself. And so my biggest recommendation is to, you know, really take a step back and really reflect upon everything that culminates you and seeing the amazing qualities that you have and using that as a vehicle to believe in yourself for the future growth of who you may be in the future after in college. You know, for me, the application process wasn't a way for me to appeal to the colleges or, you know, a plug and chug equation. It was, it was this journey about reflecting upon myself, finding myself in order for me to lead into the next chapter of my life, and I highly recommend taking that sort of perspective and then culminating into you seeing all these qualities by yourself, to really believe that you can do this and that you know anything is really possible. And yeah, it's a beautiful the human experience is very beautiful. I love the way you talked about


Ethan Sawyer  1:04:43  
that. I'm curious also to hear I, you know, I have part of the role of this and the goal of this podcast is to give students and counselors and parents practical resources, and I like to do that through a little segment called Show and Tell. So it's just a chance for each of us to share more. Thing that is like a resource that's been meaningful to us, that's meaningful to us in our lives right now, or that's been meaningful in the past. So what have you brought today for show and tell?


Daishi Tanaka  1:05:11  
Right? So today I'm bringing in something that I recently just got from my boss, who I work with, she gave me a bamboo plant, and it is like a little desk plant that I take care of. And it's really awesome, because one I love, like bamboo plants overall, in general, but I think what it does to me is that it helps me just find balance and growth and peace. You know, as a Harvard student, you know, being really involved in a lot of activism, you do a lot of giving, you do a lot of leading, and it's really hard to find some time for yourself. And so this plant has given me this sort of kind of calming, tranquil atmosphere in my room to be more self reflecting. You know, advice that I definitely is am constantly trying to take for myself, although I'm giving it now, and find balance and see how that, just like this plant, I am growing, and just like this plant, I need water to grow. And, yeah, it's been really helping me keep a really nice mental attitude.


Ethan Sawyer  1:06:28  
Wow. I love that you just changed my show and tell. Just listening to yours, it makes me think of so thank you. First of all, that's a brilliant thing. I'm I want to go get one now the my show and tell. I'm looking up on my shelf here, and this, this is kind of an image, sometimes in the background photos on my website, but there's this little singing bowl that my good friend Frank Anderson gave to me, and it's actually let me grab it because I want to play it for you. It's really nice. Give me one


Daishi Tanaka  1:06:59  
second. Amazing.


Ethan Sawyer  1:07:07  
Okay, I'm gonna play for you. Hopefully I can do it right. It's kind of


Daishi Tanaka  1:07:22  
hard to play you.


Ethan Sawyer  1:07:35  
So it's a really simple sound, simple thing, but when I listen to this, I mean, I can, like, breathe more deeply. I'm noticing my voice is, like, relaxed a little bit. And sometimes I'll just, you know, I'll sometimes use it as a transition in my essay workshops, as a nice little, you know, a calmer way than, like, beeping or blaring. And you know, here's another resource that I want to share with folks. There's this there was this study done. Scientists decided to test what would be the most like scientifically relaxing sounds and songs. And they found, if you just Google like most relaxing song ever, I'll put it in the show notes. But there's this amazing piece, and I created a little meditation, like an eight minute meditation that that I'll put in the show notes, but I've used it with a couple students who have been working to deal with anxiety through this process. And it's, it's just such a beautiful brand new day. She, I'm really thankful that you, you brought up the bamboo plant that, that it's sometimes just these little things, right? That can just give us pause and give us a pause, whether it's during the college application process in college or just in life. So thank you for that reminder. Yeah,


Daishi Tanaka  1:08:50  
thank you so much. I mean it. You know, it definitely took years of, I guess, practice and getting used to this idea of being trying to seek balance and valuing mental health as an amazing thing to focus on that hasn't really been focused on throughout my life. So yeah, it's great.


Ethan Sawyer  1:09:16  
Daishi, thank you. I'm honored and so grateful to spend this time with you. It's great to hear your voice. It's been a while, so I just I thank you so much for your contributions, not just to this podcast, but to my life and and you know what you've meant to me. It's been awesome knowing you, and I'm grateful to know you now and to see what you create and manifest in this world.


Daishi Tanaka  1:09:40  
Thank you so much. I mean, I really can't, you know, emphasize how much you have been an amazing mentor to me and such an amazing resource. And definitely, without you, I wouldn't have been able to open that of this new chapter at Harvard that has fundamental. Changed the course of my life, and so really grateful for this opportunity to just come back to to you, your voice and all of this amazing narrative that has led me to the place I am today, and to those who are viewing I you know, thank you so much for listening and very honored. And I'm definitely another resource. And you have a, definitely, a friend at Harvard. Wow.


Ethan Sawyer  1:10:23  
What a generous offer that I'm gonna now. I'm gonna ask you if I can put your email and your contact info, Michelle. That's a really generous offer. And thank you for being that resource. And I have, I'll just let the listeners know there are two resources that I'm putting together now, and I'd love Daishi. I'd love your help, you know, putting together a couple resources on number one, should I come out in my essay, which we've kind of already answered? And two, if I do decide to come out in my essay, how do I do it? So that's something that that folks can listen to, and I'll link to that in the show notes, or they can, you know, check that out. So thank you again. And, yeah, have an awesome week.


Daishi Tanaka  1:11:01  
Great. Thank you so much. And yeah, everyone, have an amazing start of your week.


Ethan Sawyer  1:11:08  
That's the show for today. Hope you enjoyed it. If you got a moment, please leave a review. I'd really appreciate it. And if you've got feedback, I'd love to hear from you so you can email me at info, at college. Sa guy.com, as always, stay curious. You.


Transcribed by https://otter.ai