The journey up until now: Katherine

Hello.  My name is Katherine Morano. I’m currently studying Japanese Language and Culture at the University of California, Riverside. I’ve been involved here at the center for fifteen years through Gakuen, Saberettes Basketball, NYO, and the Exchange Program.  Since the Fall of 2010, I’ve been volunteering off and on here at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center.

I began my volunteering with my Girl Scouts of America Gold Award Project, which was a 9′ x 11′ 3-panel painted mural depicting life at our center to be hung in the gymnasium. After over 80 hours of design, drawing, painting, and sewing, it was finally hung up in the Winter of 2010 and I received my Gold Award in June 2011.

My volunteering experience turned more into an internship in the summer of 2011, when, for my senior project, I was required to do 50-100 hours of interning in the field of my senior project topic. Having chosen Japanese Language & Culture as my topic, I decided to do my interning here at the center, since I was already volunteering here and familiar with the Executive Director, Pearl Omiya, and the Program Director at the time, Brandon Leong. Since I started college in Fall 2012, I’ve taken off most of the school year, but come back during breaks to volunteer and intern in the summer.

Interning here for four years, I don’t remember a lot of the specific projects I’ve done but I have helped with many major tasks such as center event planning, membership mailings, re-organizing the office, cleaning up the facility, helping with the other interns’ murals and tanabatas in the gymnasium, and even babysitting! In addition, I’ve participated in center organizations such as Leisure Club/Senior Wellness, hosting Japanese students in the Exchange Program for 4 years, and becoming a camp counselor Camp Chibikko for 2 years. Most recently, I’ve began selling items eBay and Craigslist, and now writing this blog as my current projects.