[April Dream] We want to share the 'true face' of this university with our own hands

Notre Dame Seishin University supports 'April Dream,' an initiative that encourages people to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release is the dream of the Notre Dame Seishin University student PR organization, the 'Seishin Real Promotion Department.'

Why we stood up In an image survey targeting high school students in Okayama Prefecture, Notre Dame Seishin University's scores for 'matches the times' and 'vibrant' were about half those of neighboring universities.

Catholic, and a women's university. Because of those two terms, it seems some people think we are 'somehow old-fashioned' or 'stiff.' Before enrolling, perhaps we ourselves felt that way a little bit, too.

However, after actually spending time here, we found it was quite different from that image.

We want to convey this 'difference' using our own words and videos. With that in mind, the 'Seishin Real Promotion Department,' a student staff organization under the Public Relations Office, was born two months ago in February 2026. We are six students, a mix of new second and third-year students. Starting in April, we aim to grow to a team of about ten, welcoming new students.

We aren't exactly 'experts' We aren't the type of people who were originally good at talking to others. We aren't used to posting on social media, nor do we have experience in video production.

Even so, driven solely by the feeling that 'we want to share our university ourselves,' we are moving forward step by step, feeling our way through the dark.

During our coverage of the hooding ceremony and graduation ceremony in March, there were many moments where we had to speak to strangers—graduates, their parents, and guests—or were spoken to by them. We were so nervous just trying to talk that we stumbled over our words or messed up our honorifics. One member, who was walking around in pumps she wasn't used to, realized later that she had injured her little toe. When we tried to film an interview, we missed the start button and didn't start recording until the interview was already over.

Recording failures, nervousness in front of strangers, awkward responses. It's just one failure after another. But we keep going, believing that beyond each one of these, we are becoming a little bit stronger. We have everything to learn—from camera composition and how to use editing software to how to approach people for interviews. We are trying to learn little by little, checking with each other, asking, 'Is this okay?'

What we realized during our first coverage The first steps of our activities were covering the hooding ceremony on March 12th and the graduation ceremony on March 14th.

As we walked around campus with our cameras, we realized there were more things we wanted to share than we had imagined.

Our campus is photogenic The main building, built in 1929 and a registered tangible cultural property of Japan, the chapel, and the reflecting pool. Historic buildings and the new Trinity Hall stand side-by-side naturally, and everywhere you point the camera, it looks like a picture. Every time we make a video, the number of places we want to film grows.

Learning goes beyond the boundaries of departments Seishin promotes liberal arts, and you can learn various things without being restricted to your faculty or department. It’s not just a slogan; you can truly learn without being confined to your own specialty. It feels freer than I thought, and I have a sense that my perspective is broadening a little.

Our seniors were kind The fourth-year seniors who helped us during the graduation ceremony coverage were calm, warm, and reliable. After the filming, the seniors turned to us and said, 'Good luck.' That is what left the biggest impression on me during this coverage. Being at this university where people are kind, I naturally thought, 'Four years from now, we will be like that too.'

Time alone is naturally accepted In high school, I sometimes felt self-conscious when studying alone. But here, many people value their time alone, and it is accepted as a matter of course. Being able to spend time in a calm, peaceful atmosphere is one of the good things about this university that I discovered after attending.

Not 'outdated,' but what is here A Catholic university, a women's university. If you look only at the categories, perhaps it might be classified as 'not matching the times.'

However, once you step inside, there is a daily life no different from any other university. It feels as though a 'positive element' has been quietly added to that.

Being kind to others, being considerate of others. That exists casually everywhere in our daily lives, not just in the curriculum. The calmness and peacefulness that arise precisely because it is a women's university have become important conditions for this place to be our home.

I think that kind people naturally gather at this university.

Our dream Our dream is to be able to say, 'Seishin is a great university,' through our own outreach.

When I saw the numbers in the image survey, I thought it was a waste. And I also thought, 'Maybe we can change it with our own hands.'

We are still a small team of six that has just started. We still have a long way to go with video production and social media. But I believe there are things that only 'we,' who attend this university, can convey.

Through these activities, I want to grow little by little and advance into the fields of advertising or media in the future. And to all the students who are thinking, 'My university is actually a great place,'—won't you join us in talking about our place in our own words?

Quietly, but surely. We are starting our broadcast from here.

About the 'Seishin Real Promotion Department' Established in February 2026 as a student staff organization for the Notre Dame Seishin University Public Relations Office. Currently active with six new second and third-year students. We aim to deliver the 'true face' of the university to the outside world through social media like Instagram and video production. We plan to recruit new members starting in April.

Notre Dame Seishin University

*This press release is issued by the 'Seishin Real Promotion Department,' which resonates with the April Dream project and treats April 1st as a day to share dreams.