After much prayerful consideration, Keitaro and his wife, Shimwa, came to BYU-Hawaii in 2003 from Saitama, Japan, with one child, enough savings to pay tuition, and a great desire to use their talents to bless the families of their homeland.
"Many families in Japan are struggling," said Yoshida. "Many parents choose not to have children. I would like to help strengthen the family in Japan. That is the reason I came here. I wanted to learn about psychology and family relationships under the tutelage of teachers who have a gospel background."
Three years of study, hard work, church service, and two more children later, Yoshida will culminate his BYU-Hawaii experience 16 December 2006 as valedictorian for the BYU-Hawaii December graduating class.
Like many BYU-Hawaii students, Yoshida worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center for a time—as a Japanese tour guide. "It was a wonderful experience," said Yoshida. "I loved seeing the Japanese guests enjoy the Center. I also loved the job because my supervisor taught me that we are not here by coincidence; we are here (at BYU-Hawaii) because the Lord guided us here."
However, another opportunity for work on a student business research team presented itself. Since joining that team, Yoshida has worked on several different research projects. In May of 2006 Yoshida was part of a team that presented research findings at the Conference of the Association for Institutional Research in Chicago.
One of the conclusions drawn from the findings of their research shared at the conference was that "spirituality in general helps students increase their learning ability, enrich their personal development, and consequently prepare them to go into the world better prepared."
"Most of the professionals there (at the conference) thought that he was a faculty member or that he already had a Ph.D.," said Clayton Hubner, Dean of the BYU-Hawaii School of Business. "Keitaro's gift is in the area of research; it would be a missed opportunity if he didn't get a Ph.D."
That is exactly what Yoshida intends to do—earn a Ph.D. at the Provo, Utah BYU campus. He said he intends to focus on teaching and research.
"I initially was thinking about becoming a counselor," said Yoshida. "If I am a counselor I am only able to help people individually, one-on-one." Working as an educator Yoshida hopes to reach many more people than one-on-one counseling might reach.
Although doing well in his studies is a top priority with Yoshida, he tries to balance his studies with church service and family life. Bill Neal, a counselor in the BYU-Hawaii 2nd Stake presidency said, "I've observed Keitaro from the perspective of an ecclesiastical leader. His ability to balance his churchwork, school work and family life is an example to others."
It is said that behind every good man, there is an even better woman. Such is the case with the Yoshida's. Because of Shimwa's support at home, Keitaro has been able to focus on his studies, work part-time, and serve as a counselor in the bishopric of the BYU-Hawaii 9th ward. Both Shimwa and Keitaro have served full-time missions in their native Japan, and value their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "Without my testimony of the gospel this experience would not have been possible," said Shimwa. "We have daily scripture study and prayer with our children. This helps us face our challenges."