Fall Officer Elections 2018!
Online Voting is now open for the Fall 2018 NEJETAA Executive Officer Elections!
Please read the candidate platforms and instructions below. You can cast your vote on the Google Form here:
https://goo.gl/forms/xiDeV9X6qnDoJB062
Voting Rules:
Each NEJETAA member is entitled to cast one ballot only. You have to option to vote for a single candidate or abstain for each position. This poll will be open from its posting, until 11:59PM EDT on Tuesday, November 27th.
To be an eligible NEJETAA member (required to vote), you must be an alumnus/alumna of the JET Program and currently reside in the New England region (CT, RI, VT, NH, ME, or MA).
Read the Candidate Platforms Below:
Josephine C. for President
Josephine (Kumamoto, 2015-2017)
Hi everyone! My name is Josephine and I want to be your next NEJETAA President! I returned from Japan in 2017 after 2 awesome years in Kumamoto where I taught at Arao’s largest elementary school, which had a notorious reputation across the prefecture as having the most difficult and cute students. I moved to Massachusetts shortly after I finished my time on the JET program, and I became a member of the NEJETAA board in November 2017.
In the past year, I’ve had the honour and privilege to serve as your Webmaster, Vice President, and Interim-President. As I have transitioned between the different roles this year, I have learned a lot about NEJETAA, gotten to know you guys better, and worked hard on my goal to build a stronger New England JET community. Since New England covers such a large geographical area, I strived to build a stronger online presence through more frequent updates on our Facebook page and community emails. I also worked with other members of the NEJETAA board to plan local events, such as our Fall General Meeting, and the Boston Career Fair Happy Hour where we had the pleasure of meeting some new members of our JET alumni family. I am also very happy to announce that I was able to work with USJETAA representatives to secure NEJETAA’s first ever Sasakawa Grant from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. The grant will be used to hold a Kimono Workshop in February 2019, where participants will get a chance to learn about the history and cultural significance of kimonos, and to appreciate kimonos as a textile art form in person. I am super excited about the opportunity to host NEJETAA’s first ever sponsored Japanese cultural event!
As your President, I want to expand chapter membership and participation by continuing to build our social media presence, and by introducing new events throughout New England. We’ve got a great community, and I want to bring us closer together with more local Japanese cultural events and other community activities, such as the Kimono Workshop we are planning. I think we can also collaborate our events and activities with other JET alumni chapters and Japanese community associations in New England to build on the momentum that we established this year, and make NEJETAA better than ever. Thank you for your consideration!
よろしくお願いします！
Kayla Potter for Membership Coordinator
Konnichiwa!
I’m Kayla Potter. I spent three wonderful years (2012-2015) in Aki City, Kochi Prefecture where I worked at 7 elementary schools and 2 middle schools, all while taking in gorgeous ocean views.
Over the last several years, I’ve moved to Boston, started graduate school in intercultural relations, and begun working as an international student advisor. Once again, I am reminded of the importance of growing your networks. I would be honored to continue working with the NEJETAA board as your new Membership Coordinator!
As Membership Coordinator, my goal is to make NEJETAA more accessible to JET alum throughout New England. During my time in Kochi, my fellow JETs became a vital social and professional network. I hope to work with the other NEJETAA Board members to better reach alumni throughout the New England region and help those alumni continue to strengthen both the NEJETAA community and their own professional networks. Our membership rolls, website, and new member outreach efforts need updated and made more user-friendly. Additionally, I hope to see the NEJETAA Facebook page become a more active place for community, coordination, and discussion. I hope to meet each and every one of you in the coming year!
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
Conor Hughes for Communications Coordinator/Webmaster
Hello there! My name’s Conor Hughes! I finished my tour in the JET program in 2017 after spending the full 5 years in the Goto Islands of Nagasaki prefecture! The Goto Islands are a tiny island chain about 100km off the coast of Nagasaki city, where I worked as a municipal ALT. I absolutely adored my time there, hitting the beach after school, lounging around cafes and even studying Karate! Throughout my time with JET, I always loved being involved in the community- ALT or local! In western Kyushu, my friends and I built up this tradition of organizing lots of island events for ALTs. In Nagasaki Prefecture, I was involved with an english-language magazine called “Nagazasshi” as their PR and Events coordinator. Now that I’m back stateside getting my graduate degree (in school counseling) in New Hampshire, I’m once again involved as a PR / events manager with a local museum. I’m hoping to lend my skills to the New England JET Alumni Association community!
I absolutely loved bringing people together with JET, and thats what I hope to do with NEJETAA. I’ve got all sorts of outreach ideas to bring to the community and the association! I want to reach out all across New England, and work with my potential team members to promote a strong sense of community and connectedness. One of the things I’d like to do is reach out across the different New England states and see what sort of events we can come up with! I’ve got years of experience with PR and web-based outreach, and am absolutely itching to help the association with bringing all New England JET Alumni together!
よろしくお願いします！
Conor