
When Mark Sasaki went home to Japan last summer, he never thought his life would be defined by these words when he returned to the US: being homeless, without shelter, unhoused.
The Santa Monica College dance major no longer gets to enjoy a rented apartment and all its comforts; he’s now living out of his car, doing his laundry at shelters, and picking up free food wherever it can be found.
It’s nowhere near the life he’s lived in the US in the past, but Sasaki is tackling being homeless with a newfound determination.
How did one summer change everything for him?

Since returning to the US from Japan, Mark Sasaki has had a complete lifestyle change. The biggest of them all is being homeless. Source: Mark Sasaki
Being homeless was a choice
Over the summer, Sasaki’s parents informed him that they were both sick and, because of it, would be unable to financially support him once December – Sasaki’s college graduation – came around.
“They asked me to consider going back to LA after the summer because even though they could support me till December, they won’t be able to give me much,” says Sasaki.
However, Sasaki already had big plans set in motion, and the most significant plan of all was getting his Green Card.
Officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, it allows you to live and work permanently in the US – and it’s something highly sought after by international students in the US.
For the 2024 fiscal year, about 781,000 initial H1B visa (a non-immigrant work visa that allows US employers to hire foreign workers with specialised skills to work in the country for a specific period) applications were submitted.
Only 24% were selected to complete a petition. Of those, only 85,000 will receive a visa. Master’s and PhD holders get an additional 20,000 spots too.
“I’ve been applying for a Green Card since last year, and I didn’t want to waste this opportunity,” says Sasaki.
“So, in the end, I came up with the idea of being homeless when I came back to the US.”

Sasaki (lower right) never expected he’d end up being homeless as an international student, but he’s making the most out of what he’s got. Source: Mark Sasaki
‘Rising from Zero’: A homeless international student’s journey
In 2024, the US homelessness rates jumped by double digits — 18.1% higher than in January 2023, to be exact.
Across the nation, more than 770,800 lived without housing in the year, a drastic increase from the 580,000 in 2022.
California, where Sasaki attended college, was the state that experienced the most homelessness in 2023, according to data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
And not only is California one of the states with the most colleges and universities, numbering more than 300 institutions, but it also has the most international students, hosting as many as 138,393 in the academic year 2022/23.
Sasaki, being part of both those categories — that is, being homeless and an international student — spent his first night back in the US sleeping in a friend’s car before setting out to find one of his own.
It was an essential task. The car would be his home for the foreseeable future.
Luckily enough, he met someone selling a car for US$4,000 the next day, and after sharing his story, the price was cut down to US$2,500 – almost a month’s rent for a studio in Santa Monica.
As of January 2025, the average rent in Santa Monica is US$3,013 per month, according to Apartments.com.
It’s 94% higher than the national average rent price of US$1,552 per month, making Santa Monica one of the most expensive cities to live in the US.
Apartments here can go for around US$2,440 per month for a studio, US$3,013 for a one-bedroom apartment, and US$3,764 for a two-bedroom apartment.
It’s a huge expense, especially for university students without a full-time job.
Hence why giving up an apartment, while not ideal, made perfect sense for someone low on funds.
Still, the cost-save hasn’t come without its downsides.
View this post on Instagram
“Sometimes I feel lonely,” said Sasaki in one of his videos, “Sleeping overnight in the parking lot with no one around makes the nights feel even longer.”
Since September 2024, Sasaki has been recording and uploading snippets of his everyday life about being homeless as an international student.
His Instagram profile, named “risingfromzero,” shows short, edited clips of his journey.
As of January 2025, he has garnered over 27,400 followers on the account – a feat he had never imagined possible when he began this journey.
“My intention with the videos was not to motivate other people,” says Sasaki.
It was a project he undertook for himself – to change for the better.
There was another thing on the line too, something that was on par with earning his Green Card.
Sasaki wanted to prove himself to his ex-girlfriend, whom he had broken up with during the summer, that he could become the best version of himself and regain their relationship.
“I was a careless person; I used to be cocky, overconfident, and selfish,” he says.
“When people used to reach out to me or try to help me, I would thank them but turn them down and forget about what they did for me the next day. But throughout this journey, I realised that everybody needs help.”
It’s one of Sasaki’s most significant takeaways from being homeless so far: that fostering strong connections with good people is the way forward.
As someone who never had issues approaching others, regardless of their intentions, this mindset was a game-changer for Sasaki.
“I realised it was stressful to interact with people that way, and when I started to be more selective about who I was around, it really helped me mentally,” he says.
The many comments on his daily video updates are a boost too.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without those positive comments,” he says.
“But at the same time, I struggle with handling negative comments or haters. So, there are pros and cons to posting every day. However, overall, I really feel supported and blessed by those positive people.”
View this post on Instagram
Where the finish line lies for a homeless international student
Being homeless, especially as an international student who still has to go to classes, isn’t something for the weak-willed.
Sasaki doesn’t attribute his resolve to a strong mindset, though.
“I think I was just lucky,” he admits. “There were two things that impacted my life that made me want to grow myself.”
The first was his breakup, which his audience is familiar with.
The second, however, might come as a surprise.
The day before his flight back to the US and being homeless, a close friend of Sasaki’s had reached out to him.
“I used to be the type of person who was lazy, always procrastinated, and end up not doing anything. Because he knew how much I wanted this, he told me that he would cut me off if I ever stopped growing or compromised my plans,” he says.
“And what he told me definitely pushed me to follow through my words.”
View this post on Instagram
Now, four months after beginning this chapter of his life, Sasaki’s still homeless,but he has successfully graduated from college, is a Green Card holder, and has gotten back together with his girlfriend.
It’s almost a home run of achieving goals, though he did fall short of one – earning US$10,000 by December.
From funded trading to personally dropping 300 letters asking people to hire him to even building his own merchandise, Sasaki gave it his all and more to achieve this one goal.
It was also worth noting that despite his many followers offering financial help, he turned every one of them down, determined to make it on his own.
And while he’s disappointed that this goal wasn’t checked off the list, Sasaki is more determined than ever to achieve a new, bigger goal: to become happy.
“I want to not care about money and do the things I want to do for fun,” he says.
“I also want to challenge myself in a lot of things, like starting up my business and interacting with people who specialise in different things. I want to take care of my parents too.”