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

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:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1162648109479&subj=1326120441

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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