Last week, JICUF Program Director Mark Flanigan joined a very genki group of ICU alumni, friends and current exchange students for the “Career O-Enkai” in Los Angeles, held annually by the Southern California Chapter of the ICU Alumni Association. The event is a special gathering held for the purpose of bringing together current ICU exchange students in Southern California (in the UC system, Pomona College and so on) together with ICU alumni. The alumni, including former OYRs, share their experiences and hope to inspire their younger counterparts to pursue their own dreams. Led by 1957 ICU graduate (and JICUF Board Chair) Dr. Yasuyuki “Yash” Owada, this year’s gathering was very warm and welcoming to all. Special thanks to alumni leaders Masako Kawashima (our very gracious host!) and Steve Yamaguchi for their great organizational skills. Everyone had a great time together, and reaffirmed their strong bonds to the liberal arts mission of their alma mater, ICU.

This year’s event brought together a diverse range of ages, backgrounds, genders and career paths. In total, about 25 people gathered, including alumni, friends, spouses, guests, OYRs and current ICU exchange students. The exchange students came from UCLA, San Diego and Irvine campuses. Dr. “Yash” Owada, a graduate of ICU’s very first class, opened the event with a very warm welcome to all alumni, students and guests. He noted that this was one of his favorite events of the entire year, as it was a real opportunity to celebrate common ICU ties while encouraging others to follow their dreams for the future.

Each of the members stood up and gave their “Jiko-Shokai” in turn, which was a nice warm-up activity to set a friendly tone for the day. Among the many distinguished members, several leading figures also offered their specific guidance to the students. Dr. Atsuko Fujimoto, of the second graduating class of ICU, encouraged the students to take every advantage of the precious opportunities they had to study abroad. Dr. Hiroshi Mizukami, another 1957 ICU graduate, shared his thoughts on the worthwhile pursuit of global careers. Mr. Yoshiro Murai, a 1972 graduate, talked about his successful track record with business innovation in the US and Japan. The young ICU exchange students were clearly impressed and very much appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from their senior members.

The students also spoke about their own academic interests and possible career plans. Ms. Haruka Kawasaki, studying at UCLA, is a Law major and mainly studying Political Science while here in the U.S. While currently undecided about her post-graduate plans, she stated that she might like to try working for the government. Ms. Yuri Kitahara, currently studying at UC Irvine, said that she would like to attend graduate school and then work as a school therapist for young children. Ms. Lisa Amano, a former OYR at ICU who studies at UC San Diego, is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Japanese studies. A Global House resident while at ICU, Lisa stated that she would like to move back to Japan after graduating and work there for a few years. Mr. Dominic LoBuglio, another former OYR and graduate of UC Santa Barbara, recalled his time at ICU fondly and stated that it had made a huge impact on his life and career.

In all, it was a wonderful day of recalling ICU memories and building the bonds of friendship across generations. The pioneering predecessors from the early days of ICU were quite happy to share their experienced perspectives with the young exchange students. The students, for their part, gained invaluable insight from so many distinguished sempai. Very special thanks to Southern California Chapter’s alumni leaders Masako Kawashima, who kindly hosted the event and provided a delicious buffet lunch, and Steve Yamaguchi for their hard work and great outreach to so many ICU alumni, students and friends. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Dr. Yasuyuki “Yash” and his wife Judy Owada for their kind leadership and support. If you are in the greater Los Angeles area, they would all love to hear from you!