“Action without vision is only a passing of time, a vision without action is merely daydreaming, but a vision with action can change the world.”
Areas of Practice
Cultural Heritage Building
Founding Member & Chair | (2019-Present)
Founded a community of Japanese in America, Japanese Americans, and Japanese Aficionados who are interested in learning, sharing, and celebrating Japanese culture and language in the regional Lehigh Valley area (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton). Facilitating community events and monthly meetings, and organized the community's public debut summit, “Building Home Away from Home” with over 60 participants in Dec 2019.
Managing social media and digital content on LehighValleyJAJAJA.com
Created a YouTube Channel to publish monthly PechaKucha Talks with members to encourage community connections during the Pandemic.
Global Advocacy
Campaign Spokesperson, Rotary club of Convoy | (2013)
Sole spokesperson for the END AIDS NOW Project, a plan to end the world AIDS epidemic through universal testing and treatment as prevention and control of the disease. For one week, explained the plan to hundreds of world leaders and achieved endorsements from over 300 attendees at the Rotary International Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
Student Activism
Sustainability Project Director
Associated Student Union, UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA |Aug 2009 - Aug 2010
Directed campaign to educate student body of the sustainability features in the Lower Sproul ASUC Building Revitalization plans. Collaborated with environmental groups and campus professionals. Presented sustainable features and organized a team to present to the Berkeley community. Successfully campaigned for more than 50% of the student population to vote YES on the Initiative, passed in ASUC Spring 2010 election.
Berkeley News - “How Berkeley students made the new Lower Sproul happen”
Sustainability Pipeline
President & Founder | (2014-2016)
Founded a non-profit to introduce the green building industry fields and topics of sustainability to middle school students, connecting with the local green economy. Developed curriculum with workshops and project-based learning programs to engage students by teaching sustainability concepts in the classroom and increase exposure to professions and networks with partner green industry organizations.
Built curriculum and workshops bringing industry experts to middle school students
Managed community relations and coalition building with partner organizations, start-up groundwork, fundraising, and board engagement
Global Sportsmanship
People to People International Travel Program
sports ambassador - Basketball | (2003)
Having grown up playing basketball my whole life, I jumped at the opportunity to play basketball on a team representing the U.S. against teams in Australia and New Zealand. A two week program that expanded my horizons and taught me sports can be a powerful, universal language to establish a common ground and understanding between people of different cultures and backgrounds.
Fraternity through Foreign Service
Elected: External Vice President, Internal Vice President, Active Chair, Alumni Chair.
University of California, Berkeley | Aug 2008 - 2013
Berkeley’s unique co-ed professional foreign service & international relations fraternity. Represented the fraternity to build public relations by co-hosting community service events that fundraised for local and international non-profit groups. Networked with international professionals (from academia, the public, and private sectors) to invite as speakers for the fraternity members. Organized and scheduled banquets, social and professional events to promote campus and community name recognition for the fraternity. Reconnected with alumni with active members to improve the professional development through alumni mentorships.
Culinary Diplomacy
Bento Talks : U.S.-Japan Council Midwest Committee - Chicago, IL
Committee Project Lead | (2015-2016)
Voluntarily created and organized a new project, Bento Talks, to publicly engage the Japanese American community by facilitating a panel of local representatives to discuss ways in which the community can support cultural integrity and authenticity with consumer awareness. Collaborated with culinary entrepreneurs in the Japanese food industry who discussed their role in culinarily bridging the two countries.
Global to Local Impact
program advisor | (2012)
Through the coordination of the U.S.-Japan Council and sponsorship of Softbank, a summer program brought 300 high school students from Japan’s tsunami affected area in March 2011 to teach them about civic engagement and community revitalization at UC Berkeley. As a bilingual Program Advisor, I was one of 12 full time advisors counseling and supporting them during their stay.
Coalition for Sustainable Change
Organized by the San Diego Association of Ecology Clubs
President & Founder
San Diego Association of Ecology Clubs. San Diego, CA | May 2007 - Aug 2008
Recruited 20 ecology clubs from around the San Diego County to create the non-profit organization. Coordinated and assisted in creating recycling programs on each of their campuses. Raised over $3,000 for my local ecology club to award as scholarships to dedicated students. Organized San Diego County’s first 5K EcoWalk at the UC San Diego campus manifesting the youth of San Diego’s calling for socio-ecological consciousness.