Staff Biographies

It is my great pleasure to greet the members, students, and friends of the NCC family. I have been honored by the welcome so many of you have extended to me since I became the Director of the Nippon Community Center . I feel privileged to be NCC's new Director and look forward to working with all of you.

Advanced technology and the globalization of business allow us to feel that our world is so much smaller today. However, globalization does not have much effect on people's sense of race, religion. Separation is still the norm. Even in the so called “melting pot” of America , new immigrants often cluster by their own ethnicity in identifiable communities.

Race, and religion are essential elements of everyone's identity, and people take pride in their own culture. Above all, people feel safe and comfortable in a familiar environment, and passing down traditional values and culture to the following generations is considered to some responsibility. On the other hand, these drives may help fuel the regional conflicts and religious disputes that have seemed to increase in recent years. Everyone speaks of the importance of mutual understanding and respect, but living it is not easy.

My own experience living for one year in Sweden gave me new recognition of the values in great contrast to my own that can exist in a totally different social environment. Later as a Japanese language teacher, my many discussions on Japanese business, economy, and social issues with students of various occupations and ages from all over the world further broadened my understanding of different perspectives and values. At the same time, these cross cultural experiences provided a mirror for perceiving Japanese society from a new perspective. Ultimately, as I experienced different cultures through my students, the countries they came from became not just foreign countries, but countries of faces and names of people who had enriched my life personally.

I now feel enthusiastic about having the opportunity to play a part in providing cross cultural programs at NCC to enhance multicultural understanding and mutual respect among my friends and neighbors.

I hope to meet many of you during the coming months. I look forward to listening and learning from your experiences and insights and to working with you to shape a shared vision for the future of this exceptional Cultural Center .
Education:
Master of International Affairs, Columbia University , School of International and Public Affairs, New York , December 1993
Fellow of the I.O.G.T. (International NGO), Tollare Folkhogskola, Sweden, 1983-1984
B.A., Chuo University , Tokyo , 1979-1983

Practicing Yoga is one of the ways to maintain good health, keeping a good balance of body and mind and to enhance your immune system. Yoga is suitable not only for people who are physically weak but also for people in good health, to aid them in the release of daily stress and to continue to maintain good health. People get sick when they lose balance. I was sick 3 years ago and had to face the difficult scenario of reanalyzing my life and my ways of thinking again. Yoga is classified under oriental medicine and it represents all the small cosmos where all body parts work together to aid the immune system. I hope yoga will be introduced to many people so that they may live natural, happy and balanced lives.

I am from Staten Island, NY, and later moved to Scarsdale. I have been dancing since I was 2 years old. I was part of Star Struck Dance Company and L.A Dance’s elite dancers. I danced live on TV in 1992. I have been working with kids since I was 10 years old, babysitting and playing games with them.

The American Red Cross has certified me as a Lifeguard since I was 14. I am proficient in C.P.R and First Aid. As a Lifeguard I had the opportunity to teach young children’s swim lessons, and participate in the Special Olympics (a program for disabled people). I was captain of my high school varsity cheerleading squad for 3 years. I have worked at the local YMCA from 1998-2003, teaching and running the gymnastics program, coordinating dance lessons and early childhood activities for young children and the YMCA preschool. Here I got to work with the children and taught them basic to advance gymnastics moves along with how to balance and hold up their own body weight.

In the dance program I taught the basics on how to advance movements, coordinated routines using the moves learned, and got the children to become interested in classical music. I was also apart of the J.C.C from 1997-2005, I coached the baby gymnastics team and taught baby dance lessons. I am a recent graduate from Katharine Gibbs College as a Certified Medical Assistant; I also have an Associates degree in Liberal Arts from St. Johns University. I love fitness and fun, my main goal is to get children excited about exercise, and to help promote a healthy and happy lifestyle for them.

Graduated from Tokyo College of Music. While teaching piano, vocal music and Choir, she joined The Fujiwara Opera; performed for The Fujiwara Opera, New National Theatre, Tokyo and Shiki Theatre Company until the year 2000.

She took part in “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” presented by Shiki Theatre Company! Now she is often singing operas and performing for Off-Broadway shows and musicals mainly in New York.