The Japan-America Student Association (JASA) participated in EXPO, which was held at the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ quadrangle area on August 25 as a way of promoting their group.
“JASA was originally formed as a hope of getting American students who are interested in Japanese culture and language to share their knowledge with one another,” La’Ondrill Brown, a vice president of JASA, said.
Since then, JASA has gradually expanded, and for the first time, JASA successfully held a “Japan Night” last year.
“About 75 to 100 students took part in group activities, including “Japan Night” last year, and we expect more students to join us for a variety of events this year,” Brown said.
JASA held an official election on May 13 in 2010. Hiromi Kasuga, senior, accounting, was elected as a president of a group along with La’Ondrill Brown who was elected as a vice president of JASA this year.
“I feel very responsible for what I am doing. Yes, it is very tough to be a good student and a good vice president at the same time, but I’m really passionate about both of them,” Brown said.
Xuandrea Tullie, Masashige Hayashi, Alexsander Kosuge and Justin Bello with Katrina Gerosin were elected as a secretary, treasurer, SGA representative and public relations officers, respectively.
“I was elected as a treasurer of JASA. I feel very good and responsible about my position. My job is to keep track of the budget of the group and to find a way to fundraise through a variety of events. I’m really excited about this year,” Masashige Hayashi, senior, accounting, said.
JASA has an official meeting every month. Major events such as the “Japanese festival,” and “Japan Night” will be discussed at the first meeting on September 2.
As the size of JASA gets bigger, more and more students from around the world participate in the group.
“Now, JASA represents a diversity of different students from different countries. [For] anyone who is interested in Japanese culture, this is a great place to start,” Brown said.
Many small group activities such as a potluck, language exchange, and Japanese animation drawing are also expected to happen this year.
“I think to be a part of a group like JASA is such a great opportunity of knowing and understanding different cultures. Besides, I miss Japan sometimes since I came here,” Akiko Deguchi, a graduate student of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, said.
“I have been here for five years, and I have been a member of JASA for three years. Although I was not an active participant, JASA has been such a great chance for me to get to know people more and let other[s] know what we are doing,” Yuki Takashima, an accounting graduate student, said.
Information about upcoming events will be announced on the UM- St. Louis’ JASA website.