The program is intended to develop the intern’s community awareness and commitment while simultaneously introducing the intern to the day-to-day practice of different fields of law.
JANM x JABA — Job Description:
The structure of the internship will involve three aspects. First, the intern will work on a cultural preservation project, which has come to be known as the “Legal Pioneers Legacy Project,”. The Legal Pioneers Legacy Project will involve the recording of the stories of pioneering Nikkei judges and lawyers in the Los Angeles area. Second, one day each week, the intern will be invited to visit the law office of a JABA attorney or judge either in-person or virtually to learn more about the practice of law. Third, the remaining day each week will be reserved for the intern’s NCI meetings and activities.
*Disclaimer - 2024 descriptions
(subject to change)*
Day-to-Day Tasks:
Meetings with JANM and JABA supervisors, interviewing attorneys, writing up interviews, discussing cultural identity, writing about my identity in Discover Nikkei, attending the JABA board meeting, site visits, Unity Bar Inauguration, JABA Gala
Favorite Memories:
Kizuna’s Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) was absolutely an invaluable way to spend my summer. The opportunities for cultural engagement on top of professional development made my eight weeks extremely memorable. I am so thankful that this program gave me the opportunity to meet a cohort of young Japanese Americans who are equally interested in connecting with our community.
Sydney Haupt
B.A at UC Santa Barbara in Communications
MPhil Candidate at the University of Cambridge for Medical Sociology
Sydney’s article in Discover Nikkei
*click to read the full article*
“Beyond that, Kizuna introduced us to local community leaders who have fought to preserve Little Tokyo and the greater Japanese American diaspora. It felt so meaningful to meet faces and names who I know are working for our legacy.
Being part of NCI genuinely empowers you. I came home from every day of work feeling like my work mattered — and isn’t that what we all want?”
Project:
I had the opportunity to write an article for Discover Nikkei's Nikkei Chronicles project. The prompt this year was Nikkei Names, exploring the meaning and origins behind Nikkei Names. This prompt was important to me in more ways than one: I do not have a Japanese name whatsoever and thus it was difficult for me to connect with my Japanese identity growing up. Through my Nikkei Name story, I got to dive deeper into the identity that I knew very little about. It gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my Japanese identity and grow as a person. Being Japanese and Mexican has always been conflicting for me since I never felt "Japanese" or "Mexican" growing up.
Achievements:
I am most proud of my professional and cultural development. Coming into this internship I felt very disconnected from my Japanese identity, I did not grow up in the JA community. Through NCI, I got to learn more about the Japanese American community and learn more about myself in the process. NCI gave me the opportunity to meet with attorneys in the Japanese American community and solidify my future plans.
“My favorite memory would have to be closing retreat. By then, I was close to everyone in the Los Angeles cohort and it was great to get to see the San Francisco and San Jose cohort again. Before the closing retreat, I have never been to the Japantown in San Jose. It was an amazing opportunity to get to meet community leaders in San Jose and San Francisco Japantowns. On our last night, we all went to karaoke in San Francisco and it was the perfect way to end our internship!
Melissa’s article in Discover Nikkei
*click to read the full article*
Melissa Segura
College: UC Davis
Major: Law and Society
