By Taylor Ingman, Marketing & Social Media Intern
Hello! My name is Taylor Ingman and I am a senior at Oberlin College in Ohio, majoring in Psychology with a minor in East Asian Studies. Over the past few months, I have had the wonderful opportunity of being a Marketing & Social Media Intern for the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute. While I did not grow up in the South Bay, I knew about GVJCI from my family members who did-- my mom has told me about attending the GVJCI Annual Matsuri while she was growing up, and my uncle has talked about playing in the Sansei League at GVJCI as a kid. Having heard about their fond memories, I was very excited to learn more about GVJCI through this internship.
After interning at GVJCI, I now have fond memories of my own! I loved attending some of the online events for children, such as the Tomodachi Baking Workshop series and virtual Oshougatsu celebration. I also liked helping out in person at the monthly LA Regional Food Bank distributions for seniors and the Painter's Tape restaurant fundraiser. Through this internship, I was able to experience firsthand how GVJCI positively impacts the South Bay community and makes people of all ages smile.
After interning at GVJCI, I now have fond memories of my own! I loved attending some of the online events for children, such as the Tomodachi Baking Workshop series and virtual Oshougatsu celebration. I also liked helping out in person at the monthly LA Regional Food Bank distributions for seniors and the Painter's Tape restaurant fundraiser. Through this internship, I was able to experience firsthand how GVJCI positively impacts the South Bay community and makes people of all ages smile.
I have met so many lovely people through GVJCI, both staff and volunteers, and I have really enjoyed being more involved in the South Bay Nikkei community. I loved working with and becoming friends with Mika, who was also a Marketing & Social Media Intern-- it was a lot of fun to collaborate on social media posts and attend the monthly food distributions together! The GVJCI is such an important part of the South Bay, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to intern at such a great organization. Interning at GVJCI has allowed me to play a part in preserving Japanese and Japanese-American traditions and culture, which is very important to me. I am really going to miss interning with GVJCI, but I look forward to staying involved in other ways and would love to attend future events and programs. Thank you GVJCI!