Julien Leblay
An “unsung hero” is defined as “a person who makes a substantive yet unrecognized contribution” and the Tyler Foundation has many but this month, we recognize Julien Leblay. When one thinks of Julien , “unsung hero” comes to mind immediately. Behind the scenes, Julien has worked tirelessly, efficiently and effectively to take care of our information technology needs. Very humbly, Julien says “I am basically the webmaster.” But he is more than that! Of Julien, Mark Ferris remarked, “He has done extraordinary work for the Foundation, especially as relates to our website. Julien has had a major hand in developing an online registration system (so we can track people who register for our events), our newsletter distribution (which reaches just short of 10,000 people) and the pledging system for the Tokyo Marathon which enabled us to raise around Yen 7.6 million. He has also supported our events in the critical ‘back office’ ensuring our guests are well taken care of. Amazingly he gets all of this done in addition to his ‘main job’ which is also pretty demanding!”
We are sad to bid au revoir to Julien as he prepares to return to his homeland in France. “I was born in Brittany, France, and grew up between in a small city and the cozy country-side around the Mont Saint-Michel and Saint-Malo. I did part of my studies in Avignon, then worked in various places in Europe and Canada. I came to Japan 3 years ago to be with my fiancée who was finishing her studies here.” His roots in smaller communities where neighborhoods are tight-knit and people know your face and even your name at the grocery store drew him to live in Saitama despite a bit of a long commute. Even though Saitama is about 2 million people, Julien says “…it is laid back. It feels smaller, more family-oriented. I got used to the village-like atmosphere you find there.”
Julien is returning to France to do advanced studies in his field of language technologies and computers. He describes it as “…halfway between linguistics and computer science. It has various applications such as information retrieval in multi-lingual environments, transcriptions, indexing and video streams.” His education and experience was key to filling the information technology needs of employer, Ascendant Business Solutions…and the Tyler Foundation which was founded just months before he joined Ascendant. Julien notes that “Even though I was never in touch with the kids at the foundation, it is great to think what we are doing can help families in that situation. …I know the value of being surrounded with people who care when a member of your family has a serious disease.”
In his spare time, Julien has taken up taiko, traditional drums. He enjoys taiko because “…it uses all of your body and is playful.” He also swims and hikes! “I like the Nikko and Nasu areas, which I have had the chance to visit thoroughly. I recommend Nantai-san. The climb can be a little hard (think Fuji-san), but the sceneries at the top are just unbelievable and really worth the effort.” And, of course, he also gives some of his time to the Tyler Foundation! “Working with the Tyler Foundation can be fun. You can do a lot by donating money, but helping at the events or giving some of your time for the Foundation’s activities can be just as rewarding. It is a great place to meet internationally-minded people from Japan and elsewhere.It is not always easy to see the benefit of charities until you actually go through difficult times yourself. I realize how important that is while working here and now that I am moving back to France, I would like to pursue my involvement in non-profit activities. I invite everyone to try!
It is not a permanent sayonara though, as Julien is keen to continue helping with the Tyler Foundation on an ad hoc basis. So, best of luck with your studies and thanks for being a Stellar Volunteer. Shine On! Julien!