Future Global Leaders Program
Camps in Japan 2014 Staff
Camp Teachers
Ms. Amy Alemu
Amy is a current senior at Harvard University from Washington DC. She is incredibly excited to be graduating—to carrying the knowledge and friendships she has received on campus into the next chapter of her life. At Harvard, Amy studied History and Economics, writing a thesis on student political activism in twentieth-century Ethiopia.
On campus, Amy is heavily involved in Harvard Model Congress (HMC), an organization that teaches high school students about American government and public policy. Through HMC’s conferences, students reenact the roles of members of government, drafting legislation that must then pass by vote of the students. As administrator and as chair of Historical Committee (where students play the role of characters in history, from the First Crusades to Richard Nixon’s Administration), Amy has worked for HMC in Boston, Hong Kong, and Dubai.
When not leading growing historical revolutionaries in HMC, Amy can be found reading and exploring. She loves drawing and writing, long conversations and new friendships. Amy is thrilled to be a part of the FGLP team and cannot wait to meet her students and fellow teachers! Until soon!
Ms. Emilia San Miguel
Emilia describes herself as a southern/Latina/democratic/feminist/nerd hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, all of which makes her sound much more interesting than she actually is. Emilia is a rising junior studying Government and Global Health/Health Policy with a probable citation in Spanish language. In her downtime she fuels an unhealthy obsession with “Downton Abbey,” "Girls”, and "Game of Thrones" and scours the news for updates on the ever fascinating and tragic politics of the Middle East. At Harvard Emilia indulges her interest in multiculturalism by attending many cultural events and by making friends from all over the world.
In the future she hopes to work in the intriguing intersection of development and international relations of the Middle East.
Ms. Julie Zhang
Although she has moved around the US, Julie likes to say she's from Tucson, Arizona, land of the cactus. In her free time, she enjoys tennis, kendo, and painting, and in her vacation time, she loves hiking, scuba diving, sky diving, and traveling. With some dedication, Julie has managed to visit 19 countries around the world, including Colombia, Poland, and Indonesia. She has also studied abroad for one semester at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, where she continued her study of Japanese.
Julie just graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Computer Science. This fall she'll be at Amazon.com. She hopes to be able to share some of her interest in the international and adventurous with the students this summer!
Ms. Micere Johnson
Micere Johnson is a rising senior at Harvard University, concentrating in History of Art and Architecture. Micere grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, where her family resides, and moves between the U.S. and the Caribbean throughout the academic year. Travelling is a huge part of her life, and she seizes the opportunity to be exposed to new countries and cultures. At Harvard she heads the university’s first fashion publication, Vestis Magazine, and acts as a creative director to the IDENTITIES fashion show in the spring. Her interest in art ranges from Greek sculpture to modern photography.
She is fluent in French, and loves learning more about French history. When not at school she enjoys reading, writing and taking pictures. She has twice volunteered with the Harvard organization, Storybooks for Orphans, which works to create original children books and illustrations for orphans across the globe. She is looking forward to spending her first time in Japan with an awesome team!
Ms. Mimi Yen
Mimi Yen is a rising junior at Harvard University. Her home is in New York City, a city she has lived in for fourteen years but has not finished exploring yet. She has a deep appreciation for language and cultural studies, having studied three years of Latin and two years of Mandarin Chinese. At Harvard, she works as a Chinese language tutor and has spent a semester teaching a lively group of third graders how to do science experiments.
Mimi is currently studying Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology because she believes that stem cells might answer many of medicine's most pressing questions. She conducts research on blood vessels at Massachusetts General Hospital and hopes to one day become a cardiologist or surgeon. At school, she works to create a research community through the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association. In her free time, Mimi is learning the practice of massage therapy and works as a Stressbuster, giving backrubs to relieve stress, on her college campus. She also loves to run, learn new things (she is currently learning how to play the ukelele), listen to music, and read widely and deeply.
Mimi is so excited to be spending her summer in Japan and can't wait to teach at the summer camps and learn from all her students!
Ms. Valerie Shen
Valerie Shen just completed her college degree at Harvard University, where she studies Environmental Science and Public Policy. She is ethnically Chinese, but was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. Her family consists of her parents and younger sister.
At Harvard, Valerie was very involved with the Asian-American community, and with clubs related to careers in finance. She also has extensive experience with teaching, tutoring, and coaching, especially in math, public speaking, and tennis. After graduation, she will be working as a management consultant in San Francisco.
Valerie enjoys traveling, eating/photographing food, and good conversation. She is excited to be immersed in Japanese culture for the first time, and meet many exciting people through this program.
Mr. Luke Yarabe
The eldest of four siblings, Luke also has an identical twin brother whose passion for Japan Luke noticed and followed since high school. In high school, Luke was a camp counselor for a program that brought students from Senshu Matsudo Junior High School in Japan to his town to learn about American culture and participate in a range of learning activities. Luke taught Robotics and Shark Anatomy, engaged the students in one-on-one conversations, and played basketball during recess breaks.
Luke just graduated from Harvard University this past May where he studied Government. He is very interested in education and foreign cultures, especially those in Asia, and is excited to contribute his leadership and passion for Japan to the program this summer. At college, Luke has mentored elementary and middle school students and helped to developed curriculum and supervise classroom activities.
As a sophomore, Luke directed a Model United Nations committee focused specifically on Japanese current affairs for high school students around the world. Luke has also worked on various projects with Japanese students and professionals who have come to Harvard for advanced study. Luke has also taken one year of Japanese language at Harvard and is currently studying Mandarin Chinese. Luke has a passion for intercultural communication. He has traveled to Malaysia, Singapore, China and Japan. He is excited to help form long-lasting bonds between the camp counselors and students, and foster stronger relationships between Americans and Japanese this summer!
Mr. Taikye Wright-Brown
Taikye was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be a junior in the 2014-2015 academic year. After completing the rigorous MITES program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the summer of 2011, he decided to study mechanical engineering as an undergraduate at Harvard the following year.
Taikye is particularly interested in Japanese anime and manga, and he cites a course on Japanese Shinto and Buddhism as one of the most exciting courses he has taken so far at Harvard. He looks forward to taking even more courses on Japanese culture and history, and will begin learning Japanese language next academic year. This will be his first time traveling to Japan, but he is certain it will be a remarkable experience.
Last year, Taikye helped start the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club and next year he will serve as Vice President of the Harvard Black Men’s Forum. In general, he enjoys talking about technology, specifically 3D-printing, listening to and singing rap music with friends, and laughing about the strangeness of everyday life. He is excited to be able to all of these things with you all and plans on making camp a wonderful experience for everyone!
CAMP ADMINISTRATOR
Mr. Tim Ogino
Tim received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Economics from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. in 2011. He is currently studying for his Masters of Engineering at Boston University. He has long held great interest in education, international culture, and technology. He has professional experience teaching English in Japan, directing GUMSHOE, a math and science tutoring program in Washington, D.C., and working as an intern at the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan. He hopes to use his experience to bridge the international education and technology fields.
Tim has lived a very international life and loves to learn about new cultures. Since he was a child, he has lived in eight cities in four countries: the U.S., Germany, the U.K., and Japan. He has also visited over twenty other countries. After graduating from Georgetown, he lived in Akita, Japan for two years before returning to Boston. In Akita, he taught English to junior high school and elementary school students while learning about and enjoying Japanese culture. He has studied Japanese since he was in junior high school and continues to use it in his studies today.
In his free time, Tim enjoys playing the trumpet, hiking, skiing, and playing basketball.
Tim has worked with many students through the Future Global Leaders Program in the past, and he is very excited to meet and get to know you all. Hello!
