David Leslie is a Public Defender in Castle Rock, Colorado He is a graduate of the American School in Japan (ASIJ), Tufts University, NYU Law School and – not least of all – was a One Year Regular (OYR) at ICU In 2005. David was kind enough to take some time on his Sunday afternoon to give short interview on what it meant to study abroad at ICU and tell us a bit about his life now.

JICUF: David, thank you for agreeing to do this interview! Can you begin by elaborating on what you do for a living?

David: Sure. So, I’m a Public Defender for the state of Colorado. When you’re accused of a crime in the United

States, the Constitution guarantees you the right to an attorney in most cases.  That means that if you can’t afford to hire your own lawyer, the State must provide you with representation at no cost to you.  Every state has a different way of dealing with that mandate, but many states use public defender systems to serve that need.

It is a really interesting and challenging job. It involves doing a lot of criminal trials, but also requires connecting with clients who come from varied backgrounds and economic groups.  A lot of lawyers don’t get to have that kind of experience.

JICUF: That does sound interesting… and impressive! How did you end up choosing this career?

David: Good question! After college, I meandered around a bit trying to figure out what exactly I was going to do with my life. I can tie it all back to ICU though.

When you study at ICU, you are asked to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, ideally, you commit to living a life that embodies what it stands for and to help other people in some sense or another. There are a lot of ways to do that, and I was trying to figure out how I could contribute through my career because I believe there is a lot of value in helping others.  I tried to put that philosophy into practice in a number of ways—working for non-profit organizations, as well as some political organizing—before ultimately landing on a legal career.

In the US, you hear a lot about wrongful convictions, the massive prison industry, and about the application of the death penalty based more on race and class than on anything else.  The criminal justice system in this country is marked by a really disgraceful history of mass incarceration of the poor, those of certain skin colors, and the mentally ill.  You see real dehumanization of people who are accused of crimes.  At some point, I decided that I wanted to work for an idea of justice that rejects those failings, so I ended up going to NYU law school.

JICUF: That’s really great. So, you’re an American and are now based in Colorado, but grew up in Japan. Can you tell me a bit more about your time in Japan?

David:Sure. I moved to Japan in 1991 when I was about six years old. My whole family moved because my Dad – who was working as a research scientist – was transferred there. His company had a big compound in Fuchinobe, on the southwest outskirts of Tokyo. We were there for seven years and lived down the street from ICU.

In fact, my Mom taught English at ICU High School at one point, and I went to the American School in Japan (ASIJ), which was located just on the other side of the campus. We used to bike through ICU to get to school, and a lot of the kids at ASIJ were actually children of ICU Professors.  I have some great memories from the area.  As kids, we would often play in the woods and bamboo groves surrounding the campus, and eat in the cafeteria, which was open to the public. So it’s safe to say I’ve had a connection to ICU for a long time!

JICUF: Is that why you decided to go back to study at ICU?

David: Well, I was heart broken when we left Japan in ’98. There is really no place in the world quite like Japan.  So all I could think about was ‘I’ve got to go back there,’ and I was set on going back to ICU in particular.

The beautiful campus, woods and Bakayama had me hooked since I was a kid. It almost doesn’t feel like you’re in Tokyo.  And going back to study as a college student, it was so interesting to see what was in all of those buildings.  Like the library—it’s phenomenal. They have a really intricate mechanized system that retrieves the books for you. It’s really neat. Have you ever been to the library?

JICUF: Yes actually. I also heard that it is the #1 in Ranking of Japanese University Libraries and has six times the national average for Book Lending Rate!

…Can you tell me some more about what made your year at ICU stand out?

David:  So much!

It was a really great experience. ICU is really integrated and there’s an interesting mix of people. It’s not just people studying abroad for a year in their own little group, and then people students there for 4 years in their separate group, which is what you see at a lot of universities.  At ICU, you have some people starting in September, and some starting in April.  You have foreign students from all across the globe, and you have a native Japanese student population that is drawn from all over Japan. And it seems like everyone there has some level of international orientation or interest.  It creates a real blend.

While I was at ICU, I lived in Global House. There were a lot of international students in my dorm, especially relative to a housing situation like the regular men’s dorms, but I still managed to make friends with a lot of Japanese students. Those friendships were really valuable for an OYR like myself because they helped me get involved in the school and the culture, but also just because I was able to meet great people.  I’m still in touch with a lot of those friends to this day.

JICUF: That’s great! Studying abroad seems to have been an enjoyable experience for you.

David:  It was incredible. I think you have to study abroad as a student.

It expands your thinking in a lot of ways. If you spend 4 years in the same place, even if it’s an amazing place… you start getting comfortable. There’s so much to be gained from going outside of what you know, and jumping into totally new surroundings. It gives you a real perspective on your own home and culture, and you come back with new eyes.  Plus, it’s a lot of fun.

That one year abroad – the memories and the experiences – feels just as large and meaningful to me as the 3 years I spent in the states at Tufts University.

JICUF: What do you think of ICU’s approach to study abroad?

David: Well, the Japanese students who get into ICU are obviously very smart, but as a group they also seem to have an inclination towards the international—more so than what you see at other universities, from what I could see.

I think that studying abroad for Japanese students—as well as for the students who come from other countries to Japan—is really important. Going to another country is always valuable, but when you’re travelling for fun or backpacking, you don’t get the same experience as when you’re really living in one spot for a year and functioning within a foreign educational system.  A number of my friends at ICU studied abroad everywhere from Thailand to England, and I know those experiences profoundly impacted their lives after they returned to Japan.

Personally, I learned a lot while in Japan from my classes, from living in the dorm, and–though I didn’t join any organized clubs–from my extra-curriculars as well.

JICUF: What were some of your extra-curricular activities?

David: This may sound odd, but I was very into baking.

It’s actually a really weird story… So, in Japan they have this snack called “melonpan,” which is basically a bun with a sweet cookie crust.  And I remembered this fondly from my childhood, so I made it a personal goal to learn how to make them. Early on in my time at ICU, I’d try to make them for breakfast every day, and I’d have extras and bring them to class.

After a while, I decided to start selling them—and I’m not even sure I should be telling you this story, since I’m pretty sure it wasn’t totally legal. But after a few weeks, I was up to making like 50 or so every morning, and just selling them out of a box on the way to class. That took up a lot of my time and I guess gained me a certain amount of notoriety around the campus.  It forced me to approach total strangers every day, which was probably a good thing.

Anyway, despite not joining an official club, I did somehow manage to make friends, and therefore got to experience all of the “nomihoudai” drinking and kaorake fun that being a college student in Tokyo brings to mind!

JICUF: Well, next time you’re in New York City you’ll have to join us for our monthly happy hours to relive the Japanese style “nomikai”!

Ok, last but not least… do you have any parting words of wisdom for current students?

David: Well, I truly believe ICU is a fantastic institution and I don’t know anyone that’s graduated from ICU who hasn’t found something rewarding to do with their life. Even if they didn’t know what it was going to be it during their time at ICU, that education prepared them well enough to be able to seize the opportunity later on.

So I guess my advice is to dive in. Try out as much as you can and make as many friends and connections as possible.  That foundation will serve you well no matter what you choose to do.  And remember that you’re a member of a group of very accomplished and distinguished people – much more accomplished than I ever hope to be. I’m proud of being included in that group as an alumnus.

JICUF: Thank you, David!