We are excited to welcome two VIA programs alumni to join Program Director Kristy Ishii in facilitating this summer’s Exploring Social Innovation (ESI) Program in Silicon Valley. Learn more about these energetic innovators who are excited to inspire the next generation of changemakers in the US and Asia!
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 Kristy Ishii, Program Director
Growing up in rural Salinas, CA, Kristy was immersed in sports (softball, volleyball, and soccer) and academics. Through sports, she developed a strong affinity for collaboration and community. At UCLA, she was introduced to the Japanese language for the first time, and this sparked her desire to work and live as a bi-lingual professional in Japan. She started her professional journey as a Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Assistant Language Teacher in Gunma, Japan, then transitioned into full-cycle recruitment for bilingual talents in Tokyo & Osaka. For four years, she was an active member of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and served as the president of the Japanese American Citizens League Japan Chapter in Tokyo for three years. Upon returning to the US, Kristy struggled to find any external help with her repatriation journey, so she brought all of her past experiences together (recruitment, teaching, community building) to help people like herself create a strategy to find a purpose-driven career. She creates customized programs for clients in both the Americas and Asia. She is a certified coach and graduate of the Institute of Coaching Mastery (Santa Monica, CA), and continues to provide workshops that relate to career transitions and mindset coaching. |
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 Yamato Suemitsu, Social Innovation Education Fellow
Yamato, born in Osaka, Japan, and raised in Western Japan, went to med school in Kyoto. During med school, he spent every vacation traveling abroad mainly by himself as a backpacker (I’m a big fan of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Bow!), as well as learning with VIA as a 2016 participant and 2017 fellow in EHC. After finishing 5 years of postgraduate training in Tokyo, he finally moved over to the US to continue the career in medicine as he had always hoped. One of his life goals is connecting all of his great friends he has met in Japan, the US, and beyond to archive social/educational innovation. Hobbies: work out, sauna, picnic! Superpowers: Optimism, Goal-driven, Communication |
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Pornpan “Bow” Tangmunchittham, Social Innovation Education Fellow Bow is a wonderful human being with a beautiful soul. Despite originally living in Bangkok, the capital city, she always seeks opportunities to explore rural areas and international experiences, including the Exploring Social Innovation (ESI) program in 2018. With an educational background in Accounting, she kicked off her professional career in global fast-moving consumer goods and tech companies, working in sales, marketing, and data analytics for five years. With her ultimate dream of launching a holistic wellness farm, she is currently taking a gap year to explore and gain more first-hand experiences in holistic health, education, nature, agriculture, and food. She is an alternative healing practitioner and a great partner for hiking, so please feel free to start a chat with her! Superpowers: Empathy, Adaptable, Creative |
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