If you know Jumpei Ro, then you know he is truly a light of Williston.

Jumpei, a sophomore tri-sport varsity athlete competing in water polo, swimming, and tennis, not only supports other teams in his free time, but volunteers his help to work the clock in women’s water polo games and is one of their biggest fans.

In tennis, captain Zach Pincus says Jumpei is truly a team player and an awesome teammate.

“As Jumpei’s captain this year, it’s honestly amazing to me that this is his first year playing and how fast he has picked up tennis,” he said. “His growth has been admirable and he will be a relied upon varsity contributor in the future.”

Jumpei is from Tokyo, Japan.

Proctor of John Wright, junior Graham Williams, is a Jumpei fan after living with him in John Wright this year.

“Jumpei is a great swimmer but a better guy,” he said. Graham is also on the swim team with him. “He is funny and knows how to make other people laugh. He is a great kid to have in the community.”

This is only Jumpei’s second year at Williston, and he is loving it. He continues to participate in school activities, sports events, and weekend activities.

Jumpei explained that he came to Williston for numerous reasons, and is so glad he came here.

“I mostly came to Williston for the community, but I did not expect this to be a place that I can confidently call home,” he said. “I had never played water polo or tennis before I came here, but now they are two of my favorite sports and I have pursued water polo outside of Williston.”

Jumpei and Teppei Morita have been friends since the moment they stepped on campus. They play water polo and swim together and also are members of the same dorm.

One of Jumpei and Teppei’s favorite things to do together is to go out and get dinner; it’s something they can bond over. They frequently go to Kisara together.

“He is the nicest and funniest person,” he said. “We all love him as much as we love sushi.”

Along with Kenzo Endo, Jumpei and Teppei love to make Spam Musubi together. This is a traditional Hawaiian food made by sandwiching Spam between two blocks of rice, wrapped with nori.

Kenzo and Jumpei frequently go to the gym together in the mornings before school as well, and he adds that Jumpei’s work ethic is impressive in these morning workouts.

“He is very determined and hard-working,” he said. “It is nice to work out with someone like that because he motivates me and I motivate him.”

On the water polo team, Jumpei is often relied upon as not only a strong player but also someone his teammates can talk to.

Beckett Collins, a captain of the water polo team, counts on Jumpei in several ways.

“Jumpei is a very uplifting person, always in a good mood,” he said. “He is very enjoyable to be around and he always makes your day better.”