Elon University administration, students and community members came together Oct. 10 to celebrate the university’s first international graduate, Toshio Sato, who graduated in 1920. The university also renamed the Global Commons in her honor.
Sato came to Elon at age 16 in 1914. At the time, Elon College was just 25 years old, and World War I was underway.
Despite the global conflict, Sato traveled 6,813 miles from Utsunomiya, Japan, to Elon, North Carolina.
Kelly Policelli, coordinator of university archives and special collections, described Sato as highly involved during her time at Elon.
“There was an announcement the week that she got here about her arrival,” Policelli said. “Then literally a week later, she is singing at a mission group event. So she was, from the very beginning, super involved. She seemed very happy to be here.”
During her time at Elon, Sato was elected president of the Young Women’s Christian Association, served as secretary of the senior class and graduated as class valedictorian.
Sato’s descendants, including her grandson and great-grandchildren, were also present at the event.
Two of her great-granddaughters, Miyako Kitazawa and Aya Kimura, traveled from Japan and said they were grateful for the opportunity to visit the school their great-grandmother once attended.
“We are just amazed how beautiful this place is and how generous people are,” Kimura said.
Kitazawa and Kimura said they also learned more about their great-grandmother during their visit to North Carolina.
“She had to go through a lot, but she survived, and not just survived,” Kimura said. “She made a lot of friends, and she had leadership on this campus. I'm proud of her, and I respect her as a woman.”
Kari Taylor, deputy chief of staff for campus engagement, oversaw the planning for the dedication and said a great deal of effort went into the event.
“We spent the summer learning about the culture, trying to make sure we understood language, putting together some cultural awareness classes,” Taylor said. “I wanted everyone who came in contact with the family to be prepared.”
Taylor also said Sato embodied the qualities of a typical Elon student.
“If you were to meet Toshio today, you would be like, ‘Oh, you must go to Elon,’” Taylor said. “We're living in the same type of spirit that she brought to campus. She was very well-rounded, very thoughtful, very creative. She was very into the arts, and so it's a great thing, I think, when you can match someone from 100 years ago and see the character traits of an Elon student — that's a bridge.”