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I recently had a chance to interview Naomi Erlewine. Naomi transferred from NYU to ICU to learn more about her Japanese heritage. She graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in psychology and is currently enrolled at Teachers College, Columbia University with a specialization in bilingual education.

I had the privilege of interviewing Megumi Nishikura, former ICU Rotary Peace Fellow (MA, ’08), and producer and director of Hafu – the mixed-race experience in Japan, a documentary exploring the challenges and unique awareness of the multiracial experience in Japan.

JICUF Program Director Mark Flanigan traveled to Seoul, South Korea, from 17-20 March to attend and speak at the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition.

In the fall of 2012, ICU and the Japan ICU Foundation collaborated with the Aspen Institute to produce the 2012 Aspen Cultural Diplomacy Forum on the ICU campus. The Forum’s theme was “The Art of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation.” Since 2012, the Japan ICU Foundation has sought to become more actively involved in various peace related initiatives at ICU. These include a workshop organized by ICU’s Institute for Christianity and Culture in October of 2013 focused on the future of the humanities within and beyond academia and two conferences organized by ICU’s Social Science Research Institute in January and February, 2014.

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.

Kazuko Love is an ICU Alumna (’72) currently living in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an interview sharing information about her life, her time studying at ICU and the impact it had.

JICUF Program Director Mark Flanigan traveled to Seattle in early November to participate in the autumn National College Fair. He received outstanding recruitment support and teamwork from our Seattle ICU alumni, who also partnered with JICUF to organize a local dinner at Red Lantern Restaurant for alumni and friends of Japan.

Yuki Inoue is an ICU alumna from the class of 1993 currently living in Los Angeles. She is a member of the Southern California ICU Alumni chapter and proud mother of two sons. She agreed to share a bit about her time at ICU, experience studying abroad in South Korea and life in general.

Following a brief trip back to ICU’s verdant campus for a Board of Trustees meeting, members of the Japan ICU Foundation staff were joined by ICU’s Dean of International Affairs, Shaun K. Malarney, for a special joint-recruitment trip to Honolulu in September.