Here are our nominees and their bios for this years OkiAJET elections
Position: OkiAJET Chair
Nominee 1: Petra Harrypersad
Haitai OkiAJET members! I am Petra and I hope to serve as OkiAJET Chair for 2019-2020 year. I’ve served as OkiAJET’s treasurer for the past year and as a general member before that for 2 years, so essentially, I’ve been involved with OkiAJET since I moved to Okinawa. I’ve been involved with the organization for the past 3 years; this allowed me to fully understand the roles and responsibilities of the organization. There’s always something new to be learnt at every event hosted by OkiAJET. The responsibilities as Treasurer allowed me to become more open- minded and expect the unexpected at times, because things can become quite unpredictable for big events but I was able to face the challenges head on together with the hard-working OkiAJET team!
As Chair, I would like to continue to assist the OkiAJET team to organize fun, innovative and awesome events for the OkiJET community, providing any support necessary to help us all have the most memorable experiences. My goals for the next year are to encourage nee members to join OkiAJET, to encourage the community to participate and contribute to events whether it is just for fun or professional development. We can all contribute to together as a community to learning more and more about Okinawa and I would like to continue to help build our knowledge and experiences. I am looking forward to working with OkiAJET for the next year.
Nominee 2: Samantha Kwok
Hi, I’m Samantha and I’m running for OkiAJET Chair. I’m currently a second year JET going into my third year. I’ve held an active role in AJET and I hope to continue that next year as Chair.
I really enjoy planning events and activities, and have enjoyed doing so this year. I’m timely with correspondences and communication, and currently run the OkiJET Instagram. I hope that with my experience and my involvement in the JET community, I can continue making the JET experience in Okinawa an enjoyable one for incoming and current JETs.
Position: Treasurer
Nominee: Jase Stewart
The reason why I want to nominate myself for this position is because I have 2 years accounting experience at university. I’m good with numbers and have written many financial statements within my uni/personal life. I also pride myself on showing integrity and being an honest person. Additionally, I have good interpersonal communication skills as I am a member of Toastmasters. That is all.
Positions: Event Coordinators (2)
Nominee: Monica Aguilar-Scion
Aloha Everyone! 😀 \mn/
I hope you’re all enjoying your summer!
On that note, as we are quickly approaching the start of the new JET year and the beginning of my second year here on the JET program, I’ve definitely had that itch of wanting to get more involved with our unique JET community. As of now, the only type of community service that I participate in outside of the school setting is that I am part of the U. S. Embassy’s Warden program and I also play the Viola in the Okinawa Symphony Orchestra; however, I definitely feel that I can be more of use to our OkiJET community by building upon my previous experiences as an event coordinator for the American Mortar Board Senior Honor Society chapter at my university and also for the Department of Perioperative Surgery at the Pediatric Hospital that I worked at in Hawaii. Thus, the position I feel I am most qualified in running for is the role of Event Coordinator. I have acquired a vast amount of experience in coordinating events for mid to larger groups of people that I feel will help to guide me in this role. The most important events that I have ever coordinated and stands out the most is my March 14, 2015 “3.1415 Pi Day” wedding and my son Tristan’s 250-guest 1st Birthday Luau Party in July 2016. Entirely alone, I planned my 120-guest wedding in only two months and coordinated everything from decorations to layout, wedding invitations, photography and videography vendors, setting up military base passes, entertainment, hotel accommodation, butterfly release, and food selection while checking for any dietary restrictions, etc all while I was 5-7 months pregnant. This was also completed while sticking to a strict budget of $20,000. Furthermore, my expertise is definitely in developing meaningful, close human connections and also in relationship building through establishing good rapport with anyone I meet. I highly enjoy going out and exploring new places and learning about new things. To date, I have about 200+ favorited places that I have pinned in Okinawa on my Google maps and I hope to be able to share them with the OkiJet community!! 🙂 As our community consists of many walks of life, I definitely want to make sure that events planned are those that are friendly to all OkiJets :). Thanks so much and Nife-Debiru!
Nominee: Cheyenne Vaughn
Positions: Representatives (2)
Nominee: Harshvir Bali
Hey guys, my name is a little Harsh (geddit?) to pronounce, but I’m sure you’ll get it. I’m running for the position of o̶v̶e̶r̶l̶o̶r̶d̶ Representative of the OkiAJET in the main island. Originally from India, and then Canada, I now live in Okinawa City, but work in Ginowan. My hobbies include art, listening to music, camping, hiking, and cooking. I look forward to being able to work with some amazing ALTs in Okinawa, and am eager to become involved with some great future island events.
Nominee (Outer Island): Ashley DeLuca
Heyo, my name is Ashley and I’m a first year from the States. I’m pretty into photography and discovering new music, and I spend a ton of time outdoors so sunscreen is my most valued possession.
After living in Miyakojima for the past year, I understand well both the struggles and privileges that come along with life as an outer islander. In the Outer Island Rep position, it would be my goal to provide a voice to those whose needs are different than the main islanders. I hope to do so by raising awareness about Outer Island events as well as showcasing the lives and daily experiences of the Outer Island JETs on the website and through social media.
Thanks, I’m bad at writing these things.
