Living His Dream

May 2025

Yuto Takahashi first heard about Ensign College in an unexpected place—while watch­ing YouTube. In his home country of Japan, Takahashi saw a local YouTuber explaining how affordable higher education could be in the United States, especially at the schools owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After hearing this, Takahashi was intrigued. He researched Church schools online, crunched the numbers, and realized that attending Ensign College could be the ticket to the future he had been dreaming of his whole life.

Takahashi explains that he wanted to attend Ensign College “because it was affordable and had a degree in cybersecurity”—a field he is passionate about. Only one thing made him nervous: Unlike most people who attend Ensign, he wasn’t a mem­ber of the Church. Would he fit in, especially being so far away from his home and family?

But that worry was soon put to rest. Takahashi was surprised to find that nearly 45 percent of those who attend Ensign are international students. He loves walking on campus and seeing the diversity.

“It’s been really good to interact with people from different walks of life and perspectives,” he says.

Even though Takahashi has no religious affilia­tion, he still loves the peace he feels when prayers or spiritual messages are shared during every class. He says, “It always purifies my mental health. I some­times struggle to keep my mental health because I am apart from my family while living in the US. It’s tough, to be honest. But every time someone prays or makes a spiritual speech, it uplifts me.” This helps to keep him motivated and helps him feel that he belongs at Ensign.

Takahashi is currently on an academic, merit-based scholarship. He is grateful for financial aid that has blessed his life in so many ways. Even though Ensign College is affordable, the cost of schooling is still high, especially for international students. Takahashi says, “You have enabled me to reach my ultimate dream of studying in the US. Thank you so much!” After he graduates in summer 2025, Takahashi hopes to continue fulfilling his dreams by working in the US in cybersecurity.