Lakeland makes a musical Muskiesā dream come true
Misaki Miyagawa ā22 had always dreamed of being part of a marching band at an American university.
She never imagined that dream would come true. Last week, on Lakelandās Taylor Field, it did.
Miyagawa, of Yokohama, Japan, serves as marketing and admissions coordinator for Lakelandās Japan campus. She came to Wisconsin recently with other members of the LUJ staff to get a taste of what students who transfer to Lakelandās Wisconsin campus can experience.
She had no idea that Lakeland had taken steps to make her musical dream come true.
The story dates back to 2012 when Miyagawa enrolled in Kanto Gakuin Junior & Senior High School where she specialized in a music track focused on percussion. She learned numerous instruments in the percussion family and joined the schoolās prestigious marching band. She competed in the Japanese National Competition five times, and the band has won the National Championship six times.
āMy high school has the oldest marching band in Japan, so while I felt a responsibility to perform well, I never forgot to enjoy playing,ā Miyagawa said. āBecause through that performance, we could move the hearts of many people.ā
After graduating from high school, she enrolled in Lakelandās English for Academic Purposes program at its Tokyo campus in 2019 and was on track to transfer to Lakelandās Wisconsin campus. The COVID pandemic shut Japan down to migrating in and out of the country in 2020, pulling the plug on her musical dream.
Until last week.
Miyagawa was surprised by Lakeland Senior Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Jonathan Feld and Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands Evan Chancellor. They invited her to put on a Lakeland marching band uniform and play the snare drum on Taylor Field.
She sent a video of her surprise to her parents back in Japan, which resulted in happy tears from her mother and grandparents.
āIt was a big surprise for me,ā Miyagawa said. āThough I couldn't actually become a band member, standing on the field wearing the uniform was one of my dreams, and this opportunity made it come true. It felt just like I had become a band member. I can't thank those who helped with the big surprise enough.ā
