Bachan knows best!
JA Life Hacks is hosted by Kizuna Program Director Michelle Yamashiro. In this episode, she shares some of her favorite bachan (grandmother in Japanese) remedies for colds!
Inspired by her parent's dedication and service to their community and families, Michelle has always been interested in community service and leadership development. Michelle graduated from UC Irvine in 2012 with a BA in Anthropology. At UC Irvine she was active and involved in the Nikkei Student Union (Tomo No Kai) and Taiko group (Jodaiko). It was through these clubs that she learned more about the Japanese American experience, and the strength of youth action. After graduation, she continued her education at the University of Southern California (USC) to achieve her Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T) with an emphasis and certificate in gifted education. Michelle completed her student teaching at both the high school level (at the California Academy of Math and Science) and middle school level (Dodson Math and Science Magnet). Additionally, she has taught and volunteered at various schools in the Torrance Unified School District. During her time teaching, she shared new technologies and forms of teaching in her classrooms. Through interactive videos, creative forms of discussion, and real-life application of school work, she was able to create an engaging environment for her students. The Gardena Valley JCI (GVJCI) offered her the opportunity to apply her teaching skills and create programs and social services available to the South Bay community. The GVJCI saw an expansion of programs both in quantity and variety. In addition to growing the program base, she helped write the new mission and vision statement for the organization.
