Thursday, December 31, 2009

me intro

Hello friends!
My name is Ikuno, and I'm currently a sophomore at Wellesley College. I am the Public Relations and Promotions/Recruitment coordinator for JASC. I will also be organizing the California site with Mariama! During the 62nd JASC, I will be leading the roundtable discussion on the role of National Identity in the Globalizing Society with my Japanese counterpart Yuri.

Last summer I participated in the 61st JASC, which was one amazing experience. In just one month, not only did I learn more about my heritage country, but I also met 72 wonderful JASCers and had tons of interesting adventures on the way.

Alittle bit more info about me:
I'm a nomad. I've been moving around, living in many different countries from day 1. Interestingly, although I am Japanese by nationality, I've never once lived in Japan. I guess, this was one reason for my interest in participating in the 61st JASC. But perhaps more importantly, the fact that JASC was a completely student-run, student-focused conference that challenged students to think about their role in global issues was something that truly excited me!

Currently at Wellesley, I'm studying History. I'm currently really fascinated by 15th to 18th century Latin America history. But I've also taken some really great classes on Asian American-Japanese American History.

Well I think that's about it for me! I wish you all a wonderful HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Hoorah for the coming year of 2010! And horrah for the coming 62nd JASC!

I hope you all apply!

(*o*)




Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Towards Global Awareness: Celebrating 75 Years of JASC

Naoki here, hope everything is going well for everyone out there! Now that finals are over or are just about wrapped up, you all (and us) finally are free for winter break ^^. Unfortunately for me...mine will end soon since I'll be back in Ithaca in less than a week ><.

But..in my short time home on Long Island, I was able to attend an event that was organized in New York City last Friday (12/18) by two of the AEC members from the 61st JASC. It was a small but exciting celebration of 75 years of JASC. A quick history reminder, JASC began in 1934, after the Manchurian Incident. One of the main reasons JASC is such an amazing experience is because of the people that you get to meet both during and after the conference!


We had two former JASCers, Ms. Margaret Haas (President, The Haas Associates, Inc. JASC 21, 22, 24) and Ms. Nancy Silverman (Assistant Vice President, Executive Risks. JASC 49, 50), attend and speak for a short period of time. Both offered their own experiences on how JASC changed them and how it affected their careers. It was exciting to hear that some of their closest friends today were still JASCers from their own delegations.

Afterwards, we had a panel of 61st JASCers (Summer 2009), Jose Pulido (sophomore at GWU), and Yudai Chiba (another one of our 62nd AECs!) and myself. Each of us were able to talk about why we applied to JASC and what we were able to come out of JASC with. Personally, I feel like JASC has fostered my own development as a student leader, encompassing even my activities outside of JASC.

Its only been 1/3 of a year since JASC61, but it still feels like just yesterday... I'm going to see some more JASCers tomorrow, and can't wait ^^.

Happy Holidays and have a good New Year!

-Naoki

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Finally a new AEC Intro >.<

Hello~! My name is Diane Lee. Currently I'm a Junior at Smith College (same as Leah!) double majoring in English and Government. I'm currently leaning towards pre-law. I attended the 61st JASC last year and had a blast and now I'm the promotion/PR/Indiana site coordinator!!! I will also be leading the Education RT with the lovely Azua who you guys saw in the photo below with Leah. As Naoki said all the AEC are working hard to take the 62nd JASC a great year!!! So....APPLY!!!!!!! ^^

I found out about JASC through a school newsletter and decided to apply 2 weeks before the deadline! >.< but I don't regret it. I applied because I've never been to Japan and really wanted to go and thought it would a great experience both academically and for pure fun. I met tons of friends, got to explore Japan and learned a lot. But what is most memorable I think are the times spent with all the JASCers and all the new friends you make. It is really unreal how close everyone gets within a short period of a month. I was always interested in Japan culturally (including food...keke although I don't like raw fish! gasp*) and became interested in it academically as I took a class on Japan Foreign Policy last year which was the semester before JASC started. I'm also taking a class on Japanese Government right now which sustains my academic interest in Japan. I have to say...it is quite interesting...LOL. I also have always wanted to learn Japanese due to the interest in culture and also the similarities it has with Korean. I decided to learn Japanese after JASC and am taking Japanese I right now. It's quite fun~ So a little background information on me: I was born in Seoul, Korea. I moved to the U.S. in second grade and have lived in NY ever since. I love NY! I still go back sometimes but not as often as I'd like. I still speak Korean often with friends and family. On my free time I love hanging out with friends, go singing at nrb/karaoke, eat different foods, watch Korean dramas...haha well that is all I can think of. Oh and I love dogs!!! Please check out the ISC website and apply to JASC. You won't regret it! It'll be one of the most memorable summers you'll have.

-Diane


Sunday, November 1, 2009

Another AEC member arrives...

Hullo all,

My name is David Myers. I'm the 62nd AEC treasurer/Washington DC site co-coordinator/a bunch of other different roles during the conference.
I'm a political science sophomore (soon to possibly be asian studies minor) at the State University of New York at Geneseo (its a bit of a mouthful). During the 61st JASC I was a delegate in the Public Interests vs. Private Rights roundtable and I will be co-heading: Empowering Today's Youth: Overcoming challenges in society, round table with my co RT leader Natsuki Sakata.

A little more about myself:
I'm a native of Queens, NY and I've lived there all my life. I'm quite prideful of New York City (best place ever) and although I don't have much of an accent, I've been known to try and pull of the New York voice. In addition, I'm a bit of a political science nerd/an all around dork.



I've always had an interest in Asian cultures and I have a particular soft spot for Japan; from the culinary (Japanese food ranks pretty high in my list) to the artistic (I'm a nerd when it comes to anime/I have a thing for Japanese architecture). I'm also trying to get myself more acquainted with Japanese politics and the political system which is truly unique.

I originally applied for JASC purely based on my interest and desire to go to Japan but it turned out to be more then that. I've met some of the most interesting people, done stuff I never thought I would ever get to do and had an amazing time. I hope that everyone that reads this blog gets a good idea of JASC/seriously considers JASC/and ultimately applies for JASC.

We're trying to plan what we hope to be will be an amazing conference and an amazing month that everyone will enjoy and remember. Trust me. It will be pretty awesome.

For now, Tchuss!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Another introduction...

Hey everyone,

I'm Leah Flake, the vice-chairperson of the 62nd American Executive Committee for JASC. I'm a junior at Smith College in Massachusetts, majoring in Engineering. Last year, I attended the 61st JASC as a delegate of the Environment and Sustainable Development Roundtable.

Next summer during JASC, I'll be leading a roundtable (with my Japanese counterpart Hiroki), again with an Environmantal focus, entitled "Spreading Environmental Awareness in Industrial Developing Nations." I'll share more about this RT later on, but part of the idea behind the roundtable is to assess international involvement (especially from the US and Japan) in the development of environmental policy and increasing environmental consciousness in the industrialized developing world.

Besides my role in JASC, I love Japanese culture and language, and am attempting to learn Japanese at Smith... it's a nice break from the harsh engineering curriculum. This summer was my first time in Japan, and my interest in the country and its lifestyle was solidified during this amazing travel experience. During this past summer's Japan America Student Conference, we traveled to four areas of Japan and became best friends along the way--I can honestly say I've never had an experience like this before, regardless of the country I was in.

My friend Azusa and I at a Japanese restaurant

For five years, my family has lived near London, England, which is where I attended high school. Before moving to London, I lived in New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin. While each of these places is meaningful in some way, the place I call home right now is London--despite the fact that I am basically 0% British and do not, unfortunately, have any trace of an English accent.

That's all I have to introduce about myself, really... I'm excited to continue working towards the 62nd JASC, and am literally counting the days until all the preparation will finally end--which will mark the beginning of the 62nd Japan-America Student Conference. :) Have a great day, everyone, and I hope you like the blog!

--Leah

Saturday, October 17, 2009

First AEC Introduction!

Hey all!

My name is Naoki John Yoshida, and I'm the chairman for American Executive Committee (AEC) for the 62nd Japan-America Student Conference (JASC)! The AEC is working hard all year round to prepare the 62nd JASC and make it into a reality. I'm going to start off with a little introduction about myself and my thoughts about JASC :).

I'm currently a sophomore at Cornell University up in Ithaca, NY where it just snowed for the first time this winter season a few days ago ><. I'm studying Engineering Physics (BEST MAJOR EVER) and Economics. Really different areas of study, but I enjoy both of them and am looking to establish some sort of connection between them. Academically outside of the class room, I'm involved in research, studying the effects of nanoscale materials at low temperatures, trying to determine their thermoelectric properties. To be honest, I bet that explanation doesn't make sense for most people (I'm not really sure if I fully understand it either yet), but the final goal is to develop a material that'll be able to efficiently convert wasted heat into reusable energy (thermoelectrics is the effect of a head difference to create a voltage difference/current). To broaden my interests in economics, I am involved in both the Microfinance club and the Cornell Investment Club. I'm a strong believer, among other things, in the power of microfinance supporting sustainable entrepreneurship to help solve alleviate poverty in developing countries.

I also try to enjoy as much as my free time as possible!! I follow pretty much every major sport, and am an avid soccer/football fan. I love talking/watching/playing these sports. In high school I swam, played water polo and ultimate frisbee. Unfortunately, once I went off to college, I wasn't able to pursue any of my sports I did previously.........and that's because I DANCE!

I've been dancing for over four years now, and its been a great form of exercise and relaxation for me. I enjoy all sorts of kinds of dance, but I am a bboy, someone who breakdances. We practice at school 5 days a week, but we have a family atmosphere, and no matter how much work we have, I'm ALWAYS excited to go to session :). I've been dealing with several injuries recently, but thankfully I've been recovering pretty well!

Check it out, I'm the one on the left in the Ichiro jersey:

*************************************************************************************

Anyway, I and the rest of the AEC hope to covey to you all what the JASC experience is like and how we are working during this year to make sure the delegates have an unforgettable time. I'm going to focus on a particular aspect, the bonds that you form with your counterparts, especially the Japanese delegates. For me, as a Japanese-American (I was born in Virginia, moved to New York at 2 months old, went to high school in New Hampshire, and am now back in New York), JASC last year was an amazing opportunity for me to mingle with people from different kinds of perspectives. From discussions within our own round tables (which are discussion groups made up of the delegates considering one of seven topics) to just talking with them over lunch, I was able to learn all of the time. It wasn't just academic topics; I still found lots to discover in our cultural exchanges. I made friends that I plan on staying in touch with for the rest of my life, and could not have asked for anymore. Keep checking our blog to see more dimensions about JASC! Each of the other AEC members (there are 7 more!) will be posting their introductions soon, and we'll also update with a summary of our fall meeting, the first time the entire E.C. was able to get together ever since the conference ended.

Until next time!

-Naoki

Friday, September 18, 2009

Welcome to the 62nd JASC AEC blog

Hello! This is the blog of the 62nd Japan-America Student Conference American Executive Committee. It's not yet in full swing but will be shortly with more information and a new look!

For information on what JASC is please see the link at the side (or just click on the one below):

www.iscdc.org

This is the website of JASC's umbrella organization, International Student Conferences.