This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Waseda chapter.
Part two of our interview with our first campus celebrity, Marilena!
HC: You grew up in three different countries, which is something that most people don’t get to do. What has that experience meant to you?
Marilena: I think that for me, the biggest part in myself is German because I lived there for a long time, and it’s an experience that has really shaped my life. I think that it doesn’t matter if you grew up in one country or in different countries because in a way, life will always shape you, you know? In my case, it shaped me in many different ways, and I think that what really changed a lot is the perspective in which I see things. Even now, after moving to Japan and going back to Germany to visit, I just see things very differently and realize that my thinking style has changed compared to when I just used to live in Germany.
HC: Definitely.
Marilena: The thing is, I kind of chose that lifestyle myself. A lot of times, kids have to move to another country because of their parents’ work, but in my case, when I was 15, I chose to move to the United States for a year where I didn’t know anyone. Coming to Japan was also my choice. I’m kind of like the person that always needs challenges and is constantly looking for new things. Even after my graduation from university, I want to live in a completely different country. Attending my high school in Germany also influenced that idea as well. In Germany, after elementary school, it’s like you go straight to high school since secondary school is nine years long. Even though everything was perfect in the sense that I had great friends and I was happy, after four years at the same school, I felt like I needed something new, so I changed schools without having a specific reason. So I’m always looking for new challenges ,and I think I like that lifestyle.
HC: You have accomplished many things in your life already. What are some of your goals for the future?
Marilena: I have a lot of different things that I still want to do. One thing that I will always keep doing is traveling. I guess it’s not really a goal, but it’s something that I want to continue doing for my whole life. As for modeling, I am thinking about not only doing it in Japan, but also possibly doing it in other Asian countries, be it Bangkok or somewhere else. That’s something that would be really interesting, and I would like to try that. I am also thinking about going to graduate school. That’s also one of the reasons why I am working hard at university because I want to have a good opportunity to go to graduate school.
HC: Would you try to do what you do now, where you balance life as a student and a model?
Marilena: It really depends on how well my work goes, but I think going to graduate school would be much harder to balance both. If work goes really well, I may do it for two more years or so and then try to go to graduate school. With modeling, it’s better to keep working now while I am active in the field, so I think I should choose to do one after the other. It may sound a bit harsh, but if modeling doesn’t work out for me in the future, then I wouldn’t want to waste my time trying. In that sense, depending how things go, I could continue modeling or go to graduate school right away.