1888: The How, The Why

Stephanie Nitahara is the Executive Director of Kizuna, a Nikkei youth organization with the mission of building a community for the next generation of leaders through education, empowerment and engagement. She was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and following her passion for Nikkei community programming moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to work for the Japanese American Citizens League. She worked in the Pacific Southwest regional office for over five years and through her work built deep roots in the Little Tokyo community. Stephanie believes in inclusive community building and currently serves on the Little Tokyo Community Council’s board of directors as well as an organizing committee member of Okaeri: A Nikkei LGBTQ Gathering.Daniel Yaguchi is the Marketing Assistant for Kizuna. From a young age, the Japanese American community had always been a significant part of his life. Daniel’s first experience with Kizuna had opened up many opportunities for him and gave him a stronger passion for being involved