My interest lies in the in-between. In between places, stages in life, people, languages---the transcience of this spot is where I believe the essense of desire can be hightened. Therefore, I focus on stories of rooting/uprooting.

Kako Annika Yamada

I was born and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts in an immigrant/first^generation Japanese American family. I completed schooling from pre^school through undergrad. in the United States.

While in school at the University of Pennsylvania, I interned in Kampala, Uganda with Ashinaga Uganda, a Japanese NGO that provides educational opportunities to orphaned students. This led to my greater interest to work in various African countries, including an ESL^teaching based Peace Corps service (shortened due to COVID19) in the Comoros Islands and an internship with the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building (IICBA) in Ethiopia (completed remotely due to the pandemic).

Through my cross-cultural experience from a young age, I have been drawn to connecting across languages and border through personal stories. I currently hone this interest through empowering students to speak different languages, translating, working in film---a visual medium that transcends language barriers, and community work, which brings together diverse members in one city whilst also inviting visitors from perceived "outside" worlds.