Zane Romano '09

My goal after graduating from SUA was to work as a special agent for the Diplomatic Security Service in the US State Department. After engaging in years of coursework on diplomacy and international affairs, I wanted to make an impact on the front lines of American foreign policy. By 2014, five years after graduating, I’d applied to the State Department five times. The sixth time I applied, I received a conditional offer of employment. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, that offer was rescinded three months later. I was shattered and depressed.

When my 13-year-old sister suddenly passed away in 2016, I became numb. My life seemed to be idling along a path to nowhere. I found myself revisiting the following remarks SUA founder Daisaku Ikeda wrote for my class entrance ceremony: “The future, according to the great French author Victor Hugo, means many things to many people. For the frail-hearted, it spells the impossible. For the cowardly, it is synonymous with the unknown. For philosophers and heroes, however, the future is filled with ideals.”

At that time, the future felt unknown. I knew I wanted to be a protagonist in the story of my life again. I wanted to reignite the energy and spirit I felt as a student on campus. I wanted the magic back! With help from a therapist and the support of close friends, I started to have hope again. I found new meaning in my sister’s death. I now had to live the most joyful and meaningful existence I could muster; not only for my sake, but for her life that was cut short.

In 2019, I moved to LA and secured a sales position for a tech company in Santa Monica. Last December, I left that job with a deep sense of confidence. It wasn’t paying enough to support my basic needs, nor would they be able to provide the professional development I was seeking.

My new company is one of the most successful tech start-ups in Los Angeles with great pay, professional mentors, and outstanding support. I am able to comfortably support myself and have been recognized multiple times by leadership for my performance.

Recently, I began actively reconnecting with fellow Soka alumni. It’s been energizing and incredibly comforting to find solace in my friends around the world and to learn how they are dealing with COVID-19 while keeping their sense of optimism and humor intact. This time has driven into my heart that I am never alone. I simply have to reach in my pocket, text someone, and my SUA friends will respond in minutes, if not seconds.

My goal for the future is to continue forging relationships with my Soka alumni family and to accomplish my dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur while encouraging people that face daunting professional, financial, and personal circumstances.

Photo: Zane, with his mother Linda Spriggs