JASH Welcomes Interns from Fukuoka Foreign Language College
From May 19-23, 2025, JASH had the pleasure of hosting two student interns from Fukuoka Foreign Language College in Japan. This short-term internship was part of our ongoing mission to deepen cross-cultural understanding by providing students with hands-on, real-world experiences that prepare them for global careers through meaningful engagement in Hawaii.
(L-R) Intern Ako Yamaura, Intern Momoha Okubo
Throughout the week, interns Ako Yamaura and Momoha Okubo, learned about the operations of a nonprofit organization and how JASH creates connections between the people of Japan and Hawaii. One of the highlights of their internship was assisting with a Japan-in-a-Suitcase (JIAS) presentation at Red Hill Elementary School on May 21, 2025. Led by JASH and JIAS volunteer, Ms. Wendy Lum, the presentation focused on introducing elementary students to various aspects of Japanese culture. Ako and Momoha helped demonstrate Japanese greetings, compared world maps from different cultural perspectives, introduced the Japanese writing system, and ended the session with a few lively rounds of Jan Ken Pon (rock-paper-scissors), which had the students laughing and eagerly participating.
Momoha reflected on the JIAS class, “I realized how meaningful cultural exchange can be. I would like to keep sharing Japanese culture with more people.” Ako added, “I thought it was a great program. I think it will be very exciting to do this in Japan.”
JIAS with a 2nd Grade Class at Red Hill Elementary School
In addition, Ako and Momoha contributed by creating daily social media content for JASH. Their work included producing volunteer promotion videos and videos highlighting JASH’s membership benefits and educational programs, as well as reflection videos summarizing their experiences in Hawaii. Their creativity and digital skills helped enhance our online presence and share our mission with a wider audience.
Please see below to view their work:
Momoha commented on the internship, “This experience gave me the courage to try new things and taught me how to plan and complete tasks carefully. I’m still thinking about my future goals, but this internship made me feel that working in an international environment could be exciting.”
We are incredibly grateful for Ako and Momoha’s contributions and the positive energy they brought to our team. From classroom engagement to digital storytelling, they embraced every opportunity to connect cultures and support our mission. We hope this experience has been as meaningful and inspiring for them as it has been for us.
JASH looks forward to continuing our partnership with Fukuoka Foreign Language College and welcoming more interns in the future as we expand opportunities for meaningful international exchange and learning. To learn more about internship opportunities at JASH, visit www.jashawaii.org/intern.
Mahalo and ありがとうございました to our amazing interns!
