Junior Harmony Sanchez will be on the trip of a lifetime this summer as she prepares herself to leave the comfort of Los Angeles and fly to Japan.

Sanchez was selected as one of twenty students to visit Japan from June 24 to July 9 as part of the Tomodachi program, which she learned about through counselor Martina Torres.

Sanchez’s excitement is not only founded on leaving the United States, but also for a more personal connection with Japan.

“I was interested because my grandmother is Japanese, but I didn’t grow up with her,” Sanchez said. “I was never able to experience that side of my heritage.”

The program will have its members participate in volunteer work in areas affected by a recent landslide, as well as visiting a local high school. Sanchez and the twenty others will also be visiting banks and international buildings to learn about their government ties.

Overall, Sanchez hopes to make her time in Japan the most memorable it can be.

“I’m excited to go to Kyoto just because there is a lot of old architecture and a lot of shrines we’ll be going to,” Sanchez said.