My Experience at the GVJCI

By: Michael Suyehiro, Guest Contributor

My name is Michael Suyehiro, a Boy Scout of Troop 683 and volunteer at the GVJCI. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to help and put together events at the JCI for more than three years now. They’ve allowed me to have a glimpse into my Japanese heritage, something I don’t normally experience in my daily life, as I live in an area predominantly consisting of Caucasians and Korean-Americans. Being here has opened my eyes about the great things I wouldn’t have been able to experience and gave me an opportunity to interact with the people I can relate to in my community. It’s given me the chance to grow as a human being, make new connections, learn about my past, and so much more.

I recently volunteered at the Azay fundraiser on August 22nd. Despite the pandemic, we were determined to hand out the meals promised. It was very relieving to finally get out of the house and socialize a bit. It’s something positive that we all have the ability to still see people and be appreciative of something we almost always take for granted. It’s given me a new view on both the GVJCI and my communities: I’m thankful that they’re here, I’m grateful that we’re still connected, and I’m glad that we can all smile in some way. We all always never notice how much socializing means to us; for the shy, the outgoing, and everyone in between. The JCI isn’t only a place to learn and to practice our skills, it’s a place to socialize and be human. Same with our communities and all of our friends and family: they’re much more important to us than we think. I know that I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had and will continue to be grateful for all the smiles and projects and fundraisers and festivals to come.

But not only am I smiling for my own reasons, it makes me feel good to make other people smile. I’m hoping that what I’m doing will help someone else feel good and relaxed, too. I know that there are people out there who feel the same way, so I want to ask those people to volunteer or even just call or text a friend or family member, take time to make that effort to help and reach out to someone. Of course, be safe, keep others safe, but now more than ever, there are so many people out there that need a reason to smile. We aren’t given the big convenience of being able to run into people out of pure luck, so show someone that you really care about them. This won’t last forever, so look forward to the events and meetings in the future and the people you’ll be able to see again.

​Even if many events can’t be held now or in the immediate future, I’ve attended numerous festivals, Day of Remembrance’s, and fundraisers [and looking forward to more]. I’ve been able to learn about the hardships and the perseverance and the lives of the people before me. The drive to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep providing amidst a deadly pandemic: it’s inspiring. Being able to see what life is like outside of the West, to see that there’s a whole other world, to introduce your own culture to the new world: it intrigues my curiosity. I feel a sense of responsibility to represent my culture, to keep my roots connected to me. Not only have I learned about the past, I can see what we can do to spread the Nikkei experience in the future. And I’m hoping I can continue to contribute to that mission.