Contributed by Ryota Naito
Hello everyone! My name is Ryota Naito. I am honored to be the newest staff on the National CARP team!
Ryota with his parents at his graduation.
I graduated cum laude from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies. I was a member of the CARP Las Vegas hub for five years. I served as a chapter member, vice-president, president, outreach coordinator, and media team member/director during my time.
My life started on the other side of the country; I was born in New York, raised in New Jersey. I am the eldest of four; I have two brothers and one sister. We were raised by loving and hard-working parents. No matter what challenges life brought them, especially as immigrants navigating family life in the United States, my parents’ desire for us to freely grow as individuals never changed.
The Naito children at a local park.
Growing up as a Japanese-American, a big part of my upbringing revolved around finding belonging. One aspect was cultural, but I realized it was more than that. Picking up skateboarding in sixth grade led me to other creative expressions such as video-editing, photography, illustrating—mostly anything related to visual arts. There, I found a part of myself, but I wasn't fully satisfied.
Although I had many friends in high school, I was skeptical if my peers were being authentic with themselves or just putting on a facade, which inevitably made me pose those same questions to myself. Upon graduation, even with my decision to attend college for visual arts, I still did not feel settled.
When I learned about Generation Peace Academy (GPA), a faith and leadership program initiated by Father and Mother Moon, my heart was clear that this was something I wanted to do. I wanted to seek answers to the kind of life I wanted to create and if God was real; this was the perfect environment for that. I deferred my first year of college to seize the opportunity to join GPA.
My time on GPA was the first time deeply looking at myself—my character, relationships, and values. I had moments and experiences of genuinely feeling loved, at peace, and belonged while simultaneously having experiences being confronted by my own self-limiting thoughts, challenges to love myself and others, and more. To contribute back to GPA, I decided to continue with a second year by helping others on their journey of self-discovery.
Ryota with fellow team leaders and core staff from GPA at Poon Hill, Nepal.
This was also the first time I learned about Father and Mother Moon's life. It gave me hope that there are people in this world who invested their entire lives for peace. Volunteering in service projects in the Philippines, Nepal, and across the United States, I witnessed firsthand the worldwide impact of their love.
After GPA, I was seeking a place where I can start college while continuing to nurture everything that I learned from the past two years. CARP Las Vegas was presented to me and, although it was a leap of faith, I quickly realized that was where I needed to be.
Ryota’s first semester with the CARP Las Vegas team.
CARP challenged me to discover what I truly believed in and what would bear the most meaning in my life. In particular, I learned more in depth about the Divine Principle, and learned to share it with others. Seeing how practicing these principles transformed my life and others, I knew it was something worth sharing. When I share these principles with another person, I step into the role of supporting them in their spiritual journey and self-discovery. To be part of that journey for others have been some of the most precious experiences in my life.
CARP also allowed me to experience what it’s like to strive for a vision that I find purpose in. For our Las Vegas chapter, we wanted to make a difference on our college campuses by standing for important values such as marriage, family, and sexual integrity. From there, we initiated Campus Talk, a platform for professors and students to have dialogue on these topics. Within two years, it grew from a two-hour conference with speakers consisting of local professors to a full-day conference garnering like-minded experts and organizations in the field from across the nation. Seeing how Campus Talk attracted civic leaders, activists, influencers, parents, students, and not only those spiritually inclined—I realized what we have to share is for all people.
An especially rewarding experience for me was leading a social media campaign during my final semester as an undergraduate, where we collaborated with CARP Bay Area and BYU-Idaho Child and Family Advocacy Society to produce content on the topic of “The Honest Truth About Marriage.” I felt the power of sharing positive, meaningful, and bold content to the world, and creating opportunities for like-minded, like-hearted people to work together under a common cause.
When I think about my time in CARP Las Vegas, I realize how everything was set up to bring out the best in me. I was living with people who were all making steps to discover themselves and step out of their own comfort zone within their personal journey. I had mentors who were so present and committed to my growth. Though it hasn’t even been one year, I already fondly look back at many of my CARP experiences.
CARP has a lot to offer the world by raising youth to discover their purpose in life. I believe in CARP’s work and its mission. I'd want CARP to be available for all young people because it helped me change my life and helped others’ change their lives. And I know extending these opportunities to others will be a meaningful pursuit.
With that, I will be serving as your new Communications Coordinator for National CARP. My mission is to make sure that the world is informed of all the great work that CARP leaders are doing across America. I will showcase the campus impact that they are making and the lives that are changing through CARP.
I want to especially thank Jennifer Pierce for the incredible work she has already done in this role, and the whole staff for welcoming me. Happy to be on the team!
Share your story to ryota@carplife.org.