Every year, without fail, there are graduates who, after completing their master’s program at KMD, choose to continue working with us for about a year rather than entering the workforce immediately.

What’s more, many of them weren’t students in my Real Project, but rather students assigned to other faculty members’ projects. It is precisely because KMD adopts a Real Project system rather than a seminar system that these “relationships that transcend project boundaries” are formed, and this is one of KMD’s greatest attractions.

Instead of a "postdoc" (postdoctoral researcher), there’s a "post-master"—maybe it’s something like a gap year overseas?!

Now, Ura—who has been working alongside us for a year as a member of “Posmas”—is finally spreading her wings and moving on to the next stage.

Since we’ve been working together on the Neurodiversity Project, I gave her some Heralbony merchandise to mark her new beginning, in honor of that initiative.

Heralbony is a brand that introduces works by artists with intellectual disabilities to society as commercial products. Their message is: “By deliberately referring to disabilities as ‘characteristics,’ we present a different world to society from a different perspective,” and “It is precisely because they embody such colorful individuality that they possess a unique charm.”These words—“Rather than making them conform to society, society should adapt to their individuality”—resonate deeply with the Neurodiversity Project we are advancing.

They just opened a store in Ginza recently. I was blown away by their wonderful artwork, fantastic products, and sophisticated atmosphere.

Ura, congratulations on your graduation!

And congratulations to Takaya Matsuda and Fumito Matsuda, the representatives of Heralbony, on the opening of your Ginza store!

Let your uniqueness shine!!