Education. Outreach. Advocacy.

President, JLAC, Youth

(2020-)

Emiko is a Japanese native, and is passionate about sharing Japanese culture and language and has a certificate to teach Japanese to non-natives. She advocates for an expansion of the Japanese language program in APS. Emiko works for an international organization in Washington, DC, travels to many countries and loves to learn about other cultures around the world. She lives in Arlington with her husband and two children who attend APS. She has earned her bachelor and master’s degrees studying in Japan, the UK, the Netherlands, and the US.

Vice President

(2022-)

Rose has been an Arlington resident since 2015. She works as an operations research analyst in the federal government, and has interned at U.S. Embassy Tokyo and studied abroad at Waseda University. Rose holds an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a BA in Japanese studies and BS in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Secretary

(2021-)

Junko is a Japanese native, and was born and raised in Tokyo. Interested in international fellowship, Junko was an active member of a club that assists foreign students who study at Waseda University. After graduating from Waseda, she decided to study in the U.S. and pursued her Master’s degree in international affairs and then a Juris Doctor degree in the DC area. An Arlington resident for over 20 years, she lives with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and two cats.

Treasurer

(2023-)

Miwako was born and raised in Niigata, Japan. She is an accomplished accounting and finance professional with over 18 years of experience. Besides Japan and the US, she worked in Vietnam, Singapore, and France. She works in a public company in Fairfax, VA. She is passionate about contributing to the local community.

Board Member

(2018-)

Sabrina Nelson is a founding board member of SJA. She first became involved in SJA in 2018 as the parent of an APS student who was enrolled in Japanese class when APS announced plans to cut Japanese from its course offerings. She is half Japanese, and also lived in Japan for a total of eight years in Okinawa, Tokyo, and Sapporo as the child of a U.S. diplomat. Sabrina is a practicing lawyer and has lived in Arlington since 1996 with her husband and two children. She loves meeting community members with an interest in or connection to Japan and enjoys hearing their varied stories.

Youth, Outreach, Setcom

(2019-2021, 2022-)

Born and raised in Arlington, VA and is currently enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University. They started with SJA as a student during the free Saturday classes in 2018, and worked their way up onto the board over the years. Between fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, they took a break from SJA for their first year of University but are now back on the board to help out! While at University they hope to use what they learn from SJA to create a Japanese program at VCU and to eventually make it out to Japan through study abroad!

Co-Secretary

(2024-)

Pari is a junior at Yorktown High School and has been studying Japanese for four years -- three in class, one independently. She grew up in the Arlington area but spent a year living in Romania. Outside of learning Japanese, Pari also enjoys playing the piano and drawing. Pari hopes to share her love of Japan and its culture through the SJA, in part by advocating for the expansion of the Japanese program across Arlington Public Schools.

Member at Large

(2024-)

Juliana moved to Arlington in 2021 following her return from the JET Program where she served as a Coordinator for International Relations in Hyogo Prefecture. She is originally from Odesa, Ukraine — the sister city of Yokohama, Japan — and is an avid Japanese learner, translator, and researcher. She is passionate about the US-Japan alliance, especially as it applies to the fields of climate and international business. Juliana is a cartoonist in her spare time and hopes to spread her love of Japanese visual and performing arts.

Member at Large

(2024-)

Sean was raised in Central Florida, and relocated to Arlington in the spring of 2023. A student of Japanese language from his youth, he studied at Meikai University in Urayasu, Japan, and enjoys Japanese music, games, and calligraphy. Sean works as a software engineer, supporting the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes. He hopes to help foster the local Japanese learning community through SJA.

Member at Large

(2024-)

Atsuyo is a Japanese American who grew up in New York and moved to Northern Virginia in 2023. With a B.A. in Computer Science, she currently works as a full time software engineer. Connected with her Japanese heritage, she is passionate about sharing the wonderful culture and language to others. Having participated in SJA events and being inspired by the organization’s warmth and cultural exchange, she hopes to further her involvement as an SJA board member and spread its goals throughout the community.

Member at Large

(2024-)

Chikako was born and raised in Kanagawa, Japan. She moved to Arlington with her family in 2008 and returned to Arlington after living in Osaka for five years. She works as a freelance patent document translator. Her son is a student of APS middle school and she hopes to help Japanese language education in APS and the Arlington community.

Youth Member, Education Committee

(2022-)

Kamryn is a Sophomore at Washington Liberty High School, where she is learning Japanese. She is a quarter Japanese, and a third generation immigrant. She loves learning about Japanese culture and wants to share her passion with her peers. She has volunteered at homeless shelters and food distribution programs, and wants to support her community. She is honored to be representing the youths in Arlington, and bringing their voices to the table.

Youth Board Member

(2023-)

Khaliun is a junior at Yorktown high school and studied Japanese for 5 years in Mongolia. She would love to help grow the Japanese community here in Arlington and help the youth discover their passion for learning Japanese like she once did. She is honored to be in a position where she is able to do so and wants everyone ( Japanese or not ) to fall in love with the culture and language of Japan.

Youth Board Member

(2023-)

Hanna is half Japanese and was born in Japan, moving to the U.S. at the age of 4. She is currently a junior at Yorktown High School. She enjoys language learning, math, and geopolitics. She also visits Japan every summer, studying Japanese while she stays there. She hopes to help others learn the language, too.

Member at Large

(2024-)