HAJET Vice President

OTHER NICKNAMES: Lisa, Akechan

AGE: 25

HOMETOWN(s): so complicated – Irvine, CA; Stony Brook, NY; Raleigh, NC and Dallas, TX – pick your favorite.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Ikutahara, Engaru-cho – famous for Nordic Farm ice cream.

SCHOOL: Soka University of America in southern California. BA in Liberal Arts – Concentration in Asian Literature and Art History

FAMILY: Mom and Dad (Jeanie and Ray) in Raleigh, NC and older brother, sis-in-law and nephews (Andy, Mimi, Tyler, Austin) in Dallas, TX.

HOBBIES: swimming, reading, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, singing, Japanese

WHY JET?: Why not? I have always been interested in Japan – as I am 4th generation Japanese. My great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from southern Japan. I started studying Japanese in college. And after studying abroad in Sapporo for a semester, I realized how awesome Hokkaido was, and wanted to come back. JET was the answer – being in Japan and teaching kids seemed like the perfect job to do after college.

WHY THE HAJET PC? Because HAJET is awesome…and it only took me 2 1/2 years to realize that I should be contributing more to it. I’ll do my best as VP, working alongside the other PC members, to be a resource and support network for English teachers in Hokkaido. よろしくお願いします！