By: Maya Gomez

Editor-in-Chief

A dedicated member of LGHS’s music program and the Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS), senior Toshiki Tahara has undoubtedly made a lasting mark on the school.

As a marching band and wind ensemble student, Tahara is a well-known face around the band building. The senior’s musical career began in fifth grade, when he decided to pick up the trumpet. Tahara reflected upon joining, stating: “Well, my sister was a part of both the LGHS and the Fisher Middle School bands. I always enjoyed listening to the music that the marching bands played, and realized this was a place where I could play it too.” Subsequently, the musician went on to tackle the trumpet, playing it through middle and high school in both bands. 

At the beginning of this school year, however, members of the tuba section asked Tahara to consider switching sections for the 2022 marching season. He revealed that former LGHS band director Andrew Hill pushed him to apply, as the tuba section was running low on members. Tahara reflected upon his time in the marching band, revealing “band was something that I was [able] to focus on. It’s honestly just really cool to be a part of it.” Tahara specifically credited his enjoyment of marching band to the community: “They’re all super nice and kind. [Everyone] is very positive, which I really like.” The student explained that the members “all have this energy towards band and their instruments,” that is truly unmatched.

Additionally, Tahara juggles a rigorous schedule for his final year at LGHS, including the Trigonometry Advanced Topics and Introduction to Business courses. In addition to these courses, he participates in LG’s JNHS. Tahara revealed that while he enjoyed taking Japanese his first several years of high school, he has advanced out of the program, yet still remains in JNHS. “Japanese is my first language, so my English is not perfect,” Tahara stated, “What I liked the most was helping people in class.” Tahara compared his time in the LGHS program to his classes at Japanese school, a local language school providing a Japanese academic curriculum, explaining that they allowed him to speak Japanese outside his home — his only opportunities to do so thus far. He detailed that while Japanese school is similar in nature to a typical public school, “you’re not allowed to speak English, just always speaking Japanese.” Tahara added, “What you learn is different, aside from math. But science and social studies or history is shifted culturally.” Japanese school provided him with experiences unlike any that Tahara would encounter elsewhere. 

Whether it’s playing the trumpet, mastering the tuba, or presenting as a role model in the JNHS, Tahara puts his all into everything he does, conquering every obstacle in front of him.