Soka News

The Weekly Soka News, aka WSN, is a dynamic new video series dedicated to keeping the Soka community informed and engaged. The lively student hosts make the videos a weekly source of enthusiasm, entertainment, and campus knowledge rolled into one!

From highlighting upcoming events and sharing exciting news to giving well-deserved shout outs to our hardworking community members, the WSN strives to create a sense of connection and collaboration among our students, faculty, and staff.

Please enjoy a few recent episodes of the WSN below!

Three people wearing professional attire stand at the front of the room. One is speaking into a microphone at a wooden lectern to a seated audience.

Jun 2, 2026 2 Min Read

Final East Asia Symposium Continues Building Trust Across Historical Divides

In a region shaped by war, colonialism, and contested memory, what does genuine reconciliation require?The Soka Institute for Global Solutions (SIGS) continued exploring this question at the third and...

SUA Graduates wearing a mix of colorful clothes under their black graduation gowns throw their caps into the air in celebration.

Jun 2, 2026 7 Min Read

‘Hearteners of the World’: SUA Commencement Celebrates the Class of 2026

“Our story starts now,” said Marcos Vinicius Reginaldo de Souza, M.A. ’26, giving voice to the palpable excitement in the room as he addressed his fellow graduates during commencement on May 22.Friend...

A large group of students and staff pose for a group photo in front of a backdrop during SUA's Homecoming celebration.

May 29, 2026 1 Min Read

SUA Comes Home: Celebrating 25 Years in Aliso Viejo

On May 2, SUA welcomed students, alumni, faculty, families, and friends back to campus for Homecoming 2026, a celebration of the university's 25th anniversary in Aliso Viejo.The festivities kicked off...

A man stands next to six women, all wearing nametags, as they pose in front of a large green and blue sign reading "The 1st BNBU-Soka Joint University Forum on Sustainable Development"

May 29, 2026 4 Min Read

Soka and BNBU Students Meet in China to Tackle Sustainability

“Global citizenship doesn’t come from classroom study alone,” said Dongyoun Hwang, professor of Asian studies at SUA. “It requires experience of other cultures.”This understanding of global citizenshi...

A group of conference attendees wearing formal attire pose outside in front of various greenery on Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California.

May 29, 2026 3 Min Read

SUA Students Confront the Risks of AI and Nuclear Weapons

In April, several SUA students attended “Silicon, Swords, and Ploughshares: The Perils and Promise of AI in the Nuclear and Biological Domains,” a conference on the growing risks surrounding artificia...

A doublesided blue and white sign reading "Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey" sits below a white building with blue trim and blue fencing along the upstairs walkway.

May 11, 2026 2 Min Read

President's Message: SUA Is Expanding Its Mission to Monterey

Dear Soka Community,I am excited to share news of a significant development. Soka University of America (SUA) has entered into exclusive negotiations with Middlebury College for the potential purchase...

A woman with brown hair in a ponytail and wearing glasses speaks with her hands. Out-of-focus students are in the background listening sitting in front of a wall-sized navy, gold, and green world map.

Apr 24, 2026 3 Min Read

Sarah Ann Wider Named SUA's 2026 Commencement Speaker

Soka University of America has announced Dr. Sarah Ann Wider, emerita professor of English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Colgate University, as the keynote speaker for its 2026 commenc...

A barefoot photographer in a grey hoodie and jeans crouches on a wet pool deck, aiming a Canon camera with a large telephoto lens toward the starting blocks. In the background, a banner reads "GSAC."

Apr 22, 2026 10 Min Read

How a Campus Mentorship Launched a Photojournalism Career

Few photojournalists can claim a New York Times byline and a national award before their first anniversary in the field. Keito Newman ’25 already can.Newman's photos were featured in February as part ...

A young woman with a brown headwrap and gold jewelry smiles while leaning over a table at an outdoor career fair, holding a clipboard and documents. Other students and recruiters are visible under a large white tent in the background.

Apr 23, 2026 7 Min Read

Long Before Graduation, SUA Students Step Into the Professional World

This spring, programs across Soka University of America offered students more than resume-writing tips — they created space for students to imagine who they might become and how to get there.The Caree...

Apr 22, 2026 6 Min Read

On SUA’s 25th, Katherine King Reflects on Community and Connection

Next month marks 25 years since Soka University of America opened its Aliso Viejo campus, and Katherine King, executive vice president for university community and chief human resources officer, has b...

Colored pencil cartoon drawing of a family of four standing in front of Founders Hall and Peace Lake. They are smiling and holding up a children's book. "Miura Family in SUA!!" is stenciled in yellow writing in the top right of the drawing.

Apr 21, 2026 3 Min Read

Remembering Junichi Miura, the Artist Behind a Beloved SUA Tradition

The Soka community mourns the passing of Junichi Miura — an accomplished painter, children’s book author, and dedicated supporter of the university — who died on March 9 in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, Ja...

A blonde woman with her hair up, wearing a black tanktop and pants squats down on a gym floor with volleyballs in the distance.

Mar 17, 2026 6 Min Read

Taylor Kushner is Turning First-Time Players Into Lifelong Teammates

When Coach Taylor Kushner created the Soka men’s volleyball program from scratch in the fall of 2024, most of the team members had never played volleyball before. None of them had expected to play col...