Freshman Year

On Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 Jordyn set off for college. She applied to many fine schools and settled on Cal Poly Pomona. Right from the start she felt CPP was the right school for her. I remember her saying at her college campus tour that she thought "it felt right". As luck would have it, she was also accepted into the Kellogg's Honors College at CPP. The great thing about being in the Honors College is she gets to choose her classes first. So far, she's enrolled in Math, Computer Science, and Philosophy. In her free time she participates in intramural volleyball and joined the Nikkei Student Union.

At the airport heading down for the Honor's College campout.

One of the clubs Jordyn joined at CPP is sheCodes. This organization works to promote and support the growing community of women in computer science and technology. On Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 Jordyn and a bunch of her fellow Computer Science friends drove down to San Diego to visit Qualcomm.

Kiraboshi is CPP NSU's Culture Night for 2018. While we weren't able to make it for this performance, we did drive down the following weekend to see Jordyn dance during the CPP Taiko Spring performance.

For months Jordyn has been rehearsing a dance for the Nikkei Student Union's (NSU) Culture Night. While we weren't able to see her perform at Culture Night, we were lucky enough to see her dance at the CPP Taiko Spring performance the weekend after. Grandma and Grandpa Higa along with Uncle Derek and Aunty Lara all made it too. In the end, we were all so proud of her performance and can't wait to see her dance again next year!

When Cal Poly Pomona became a real possibility for Jordyn, Dad read an article about students making an annual trip to Manzanar to keep the concentration camp stories alive. One of the Nikkei Student Unions that co-sponsored this trip was CPP. It was at this time that Dad mentioned it might be a good idea to look for this club after getting on campus. This was one of the many enlightening and educational events made possible by the CPP NSU.

Jordyn had so much fun in the NSU (Nikkei Student Union) this year! She met a bunch of people and participated in all kinds of activities (Camping in Manzanar, basketball, Culture Night, etc.). In the fall she will be the new NSU Secretary.

Not long after Jordyn and her friends attended the NSU Intercollegiate Nikkei Council Dinner, Cal Poly Pomona's NSU held their year-end dinner. It was here where all the CPP NSU members could get together for one last hurrah.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 was Jordyn's move-in day into the suites. Most of her belongings were already in L.A. at Grandpa's and Grandma's house. Dad only brought down houseware items she bought when she flew back home the weekend prior. Living in the suites is kind of like apartment living. There are 4 single bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a small living room. It's a lot nicer than having to deal with sharing a bathroom with an entire floor, but it does lack some of the social aspects of living in the residence halls. Just the same, Jordyn has found a way to make it all work. After settling in, she invited as many of her friends from freshman year over for dinner. She put her rice cooker to work and made Kalua Pork with rice! Everyone raved how good it was.

Jordyn had such a blast last year in NSU that she joined the cabinet as Secretary this year. Here's a picture of her with the rest of the cabinet and another at the first general meeting at In 'N Out!

Every year, the CPP NSU does a "Big Little Reveal" when an older student is asked to take on one or two younger students to help them with NSU activities and whatever else. Last year, Jordyn was a "Little". This year she's a "Big".

Jordyn can actually say she got to play basketball at the John Wooden Center in UCLA. Every year UCLA NSU hosts a basketball tournament and invites NSU's from other colleges. Cal Poly Pomona likes to participate, and maybe they don't always match up well with the other schools, but they compete as best they can and always have fun.

The Intercollegiate Nikkei Council hosted a huge event for the NSU's in So. Cal on Thursday, November 8 in Los Angeles. NSU's from all over the area attended. Jordyn met up with old friends Erin H. (Chapman), Lauren F. (Long Beach), and Alex S (UCSB).

Every once in a while everyone needs a break. Right around Finals, Jordyn and some of her NSU buddies decided to get away for a little bit to recharge their batteries. I'm sure it helped a lot.

Every year, around Winter break, the CPP NSU makes a trip out to Big Bear to enjoy the snow. Jordyn couldn't make it last year because she committed to play basketball down in Irvine. This year, however, she opted for the snow trip instead.

Cal Poly Pomona is by and large a commuter school. Most of the student population is from around the Los Angeles area. While many will stay on campus during the school week, most will return home on the weekends. As such, Jordyn wasn't able to give most of her friends their Christmas gifts before the holiday break. Instead, she and her friends opted to exchange gifts after they returned to school.

Jordyn plays basketball with the CPP NSU whenever the opportunity presents itself. She missed the UC Irvine tournament a few weeks back because the NSU at CPP traveled to Big Bear for their annual winter get-away. Fortunately, another basketball tournament, the Titan Tipoff, was on the horizon at Cal State University Fullerton during the first weekend in February.

Jordyn's good friend Serena is an RA at CPP. Not only does she help students get back into their rooms when they forget their keys, but she also coordinates fun activities as well. One such fun activity was this past weekend when she brought the Kreepy Kreatures Reptile Show on campus to give students an up close hands-on experience with reptiles. Judging by the pictures I'd say Jordyn got real up close.

Just a quick selfie from Chick-fil-A after an NSU meeting.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Forum in Inglewood!

At Panera's after the 8th NSU General Meeting!

Yet another after-NSU-meeting meal!

Here is a promotional picture of Jordyn and her friends for Culture Night (Sunday, April 14, 2019)!

What a tremendous Culture Night! Families, friends, and fellow NSU clubs from UCLA and Fullerton were all in attendance. It was obvious how much time everyone rehearsed and prepared for this major production. The play, the dancing, and the singing were all immensely fun and inspirational. We can't wait for next year's Culture Night!

After an incredibly successful year, the CPP NSU held its end-of-the-year-dinner.

Just as quickly as it began, Jordyn's second year at Cal Poly Pomona came to an end.

Jordyn's day wasn't done after moving out of her suite. First, she moved school stuff for next year to Grandpa's and Grandma's house. Then, she moved stuff for this summer to the Redondo Beach house near where she'll be working. However, later that evening she got together with a bunch of her friends to catch a special screening of Wong Fu Productions', "Dating After College". Not only did she get to see the entire series of videos on the big screen, but she also got to meet members of Wong Fu Productions!

Only one week after school ended, Cal Poly Pomona's Touzan Taiko participated in the ITI at Stanford University. Collegiate taiko groups from around the west coast participated in a high-energy concert showcasing different styles and sensibilities. It was an amazing fun event enjoyed by a full auditorium of taiko enthusiasts.

Well, Jordyn's down in LA over the summer again for an internship at Northrop Grumman. She's working in a division that is using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It's an incredible learning experience, and she'll definitely benefit from all the first-hand work experience too. Fortunately, she's also got her good friend Serena with her during all this. Serena is not only working at Northop as well, but she's also Jordyn's housemate! The two of them are kindred spirits with similar backgrounds and sensibilities. As such, they hang out a lot and enjoy the same kinds of entertainment. One weekend evening in July, they went to the 626 Night Market held at the Santa Anita Racetrack. This Night Market is inspired by the many Night Markets in Asia where people congregate for food, shopping, and socializing.

One year ago, almost to the day, Jordyn moved into the Suites at CPP. Well, she's back again and almost in the same exact place. This year she's in Room #201. Last year she was down the hall in Room #204. She's suitemates with Gracelyn again too, but this time she's also with her good friend and housemate from Redondo Beach, Serena. It looks like it will be a busy year, but at least she'll be with friends to help her through it all.

After moving into her suite in the morning, Jordyn helped set up a table in the University Quad later in the afternoon to promote the NSU. As Co-President this year she and the other board members encouraged students to join during Club Fest.

On Friday, Jordyn was out in the Quad again to help promote the NSU and encourage students to check out the first general meeting of the school year later that evening.

Jordyn's friend Caleb had never been to Disneyland before. So, Jordyn, Gracelyn, and Serena accompanied him on his first ever trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. The four of them took in as much as they possibly could. They even ventured into Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland's brand new Star Wars attraction.

Jordyn's Junior Year is in full swing now. Her class schedule is in place. Her room in her suite is all set up. Her part-time job schedule is all settled. Finally, NSU seems to be up and running now that the recruitment process is over.

The Intercollegiate Nikkei Council volunteered at Keiro Kai in Little Tokyo. College NSU's from all over the greater Los Angeles area donated their time to honor Keiros at this annual celebration.

Just like past years after every general meeting the NSU at CPP always goes out for a quick bite to eat. This time it was L&L.

Going to school in the greater Los Angeles area has been an incredible experience for Jordyn. She's made a ton of friends, she's excelling in her studies (she just completed her Math Minor), and she's found an extra-curricular activity she's passionate about (NSU). One thing about L.A., particularly as the fall months come into view, is there aren't any pumpkin patches. Sure, they sell pumpkins in these parking lots where they throw some hay on the ground. But, there aren't any honest to goodness pumpkin farms where they have train rides, a corn maze, sunflower labyrinth, petting zoo, and zipline. Jordyn's friend Caleb knew of one such farm in Wheatland near his hometown of Auburn. So, like any group of college kids, they jumped in the car and made the 6 to 7 hour drive north so they could buy a pumpkin for Halloween.

Every year the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council sponsors a Beach Day near the beginning of the school year. This is an opportunity to bring all area NSU's together to meet one another and bond.

Another post-meeting meal. Looks good.

NSU went back to UCLA to play basketball against other NSU teams from the Southern California area. One of the truly cool potential match-ups was the possibility of playing a Northern California team made up of former club basketball players. What were the chances of the CPP NSU team playing them? Pretty good as it turns out.

Every year the NSU at Cal Poly Pomona has what they call their Big/Little Reveal. New members (Little) are matched with older members (Big) for mentoring and guidance. It's always a fun event to see who got matched up with whom.

Here's an Instagram Story of Jordyn and Aiko "tabling" to recruit more members for NSU.

Tabling.

At their latest general meeting, the NSU Board dressed up as Hydroflasks!

"During the weekend of November 2-3, 2019, 14 students from the Nikkei Student Unions at Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA, UCR, and UCSD attended the annual Katari trip to the Manzanar National Historic Site, where they participated in an intensive, place-based, experiential learning experience about the World War II Japanese American Incarceration experience, and a lot more.

Our students were incredible, as they were active participants, fully engaged and from what we could tell, very inspired by what they learned, especially from the three former incarcerees and an Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone elder (who could not be with us during this part of the weekend and is not pictured) who joined us.

In short, our 2019 Katari weekend was a great success. We’ll have more in the coming days and weeks, including lots of photos from the weekend and reflections on their experiences from each of our students.

For now, here is the group photo..."

Manzanar Committee Facebook Post - 11/5/19

Here are some more pictures of Jordyn during her visit to the Manzanar National Historic Site for the Katari: Keeping Japanese American Stories Alive Project. All photos are copyright Gann Matsuda and the Manzanar Committee.

Like last year, the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council put together a night of dancing at a club down on Wilshire in LA. The NSU's from all over came to hang out and dance the night away. Here's a pic of Jordyn with good friends, Caitlyn (Fullerton) and Alex (Santa Barbara).

Jordyn's recent trip to Manzanar resonated with her so much that the CPP NSU took to Instagram to share her reflections.

"Yesterday marked the anniversary of when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. It was a day which will live in infamy and it led to a series of unfortunate events for Japanese Americans. Thousands of Japanese Americans were wrongfully incarcerated following the Pearl Harbor attack. Two of our board members, Jordyn Sato and Kobi Kozai, were fortunate enough to take a trip to Manzanar, one of the World War II Japanese American incarceration camps, to learn about this period of time. CPP NSU would like to thank the Manzanar Committee for organizing this trip, as it is an experience that neither will forget."

"Throughout my time in Manzanar, I was in a constant state of reflection. A lot of information was given to us, a majority of it was devastating and it brought a somber mood to the trip. However, there was a more hopeful message that by speaking up after the incarceration, we were able to preserve the incarceration camps as historical sites. We now use these historical sites to educate other people on the topic, so these stories are not lost. It is important for us to advocate for things we are passionate about and to bring attention to various issues. It is important to educate ourselves in order to recognize the past in the present and prevent wrongdoings from happening again in the future. This trip has motivated me to stay updated and politically engaged in order to prevent the past from repeating itself. - Jordyn Sato (Co-President)"

About 3 weeks ago, the Cal Poly Pomona Nikkei Student Union posted on their social media accounts an excerpt from Jordyn's reflection of her visit to the Manzanar National Historic Site. Here is her essay in its entirety as posted by the Manzanar Committee.

The week when the rest of us were in LA for Disneyland, Jordyn took over the Cal Poly Pomona's Nikkei Student Union Instagram account. During the week she posted about all kinds of different things. Take a look.

The following Instagram posts were made after Jordyn's takeover.

This is probably the last picture of an NSU activity before the COVID-19 situation shut everything down. Here we see CPP NSU Board Members tabling at the APISC (Asian Pacific Islander Student Center) Showcase and promoting their Jinza Teriyaki Fundraiser.

Normally, near the end of every school year the CPP NSU holds its Annual End of the Year Banquet. Obviously, with COVID-19 and the shelter in place mandate still in effect, getting together to have dinner with everyone was impossible. So, despite their inability to physically meet, the NSU had a virtual banquet via Zoom.

While everything was cut short by the COVID-19 situation, Jordyn was still able to have a fulfilling year as NSU Co-President.

Jordyn received an internship from Amazon this summer. She's been working hard on the Reminders feature on the Alexa app. The Polycentric, the Cal Poly Pomona online campus news site, recently did an article on Jordyn and one other CPP student who are both working for Amazon. The article talks about how they were both supposed to work in Amazon offices but had to switch to working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc on everyone's lives. CPP elected to forgo in-class lectures and will continue remote learning through the rest of the year. Despite all the obstacles, NSU continues to thrive and hold weekly meetings. Viewed from afar, one would believe nothing has changed and it's business as usual for the CPP NSU. For instance, here's something from the NSU Instagram page.

With Jordyn remote learning during her senior year, there hasn't been much to post. Her days are spent in her room in front of her computer either going to lectures (via Zoom) or working (also via Zoom). The Nikkei Student Union, however, has continued to maintain a constant presence during this unprecedented time. Despite the pandemic, the UCLA NSU had their Culture Night virtually this year. This year's theme was, "Life Lines". If lives were illustrated as lines they would weave in and out, split off, join, and intersect with one another. As a result, decisions have to be made, sometimes difficult, that guide people in unique ways. These decisions shape individuals, so no two are truly alike.

During the school year the Cal Poly Pomona NSU holds weekly meetings. Once in a while special guests will make appearances to talk to students. This past week's meeting had filmmaker Jon Osaki present his important documentary, "Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066". After the screening he stuck around and took questions from the membership. If the opportunity presents itself, please see this film as it reveals how systemic racism, still prevalent to this day, was used to incarcerate 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.

During the boys' Spring Break in the third week of April, we all drove down to L.A. so Tyler could visit some college campuses. Since he was accepted to CPP, Jordyn gave him a tour so he could get an idea of where things are and how to get from place to place. While we toured Cal Poly Pomona, we availed ourselves of the opportunity to take some photos of Jordyn wearing her graduation sashes at some of the more iconic landmarks on campus.

The last year has been tough for Jordyn. Having to come home due to the pandemic to finish up both her junior and senior years has been a little lonely without her group of CPP friends and roommates. When the opportunity arose to give Tyler a tour of Cal Poly Pomona during his Spring Break, Jordyn saw this as the perfect chance to get together and see them in person rather than online or talking on the phone. These friends have been her lifeline at school. They have supported her, nurtured her, and continue to be a source of great happiness in her life. We hope she can maintain these friendships as they all move on in their lives. They are simply some of the best people we have ever had the good fortune to meet.

Probably the biggest event of the year for NSU is their Culture Night. Jordyn participated in her first two years but last year the event was canceled due to the pandemic. This year they decided to stream Culture Night remotely on YouTube so there wasn't any chance of spreading COVID-19. The theme they chose was "Okaeri" which means "Welcome Back". The skit they performed told the story of a student from Japan who is studying at CPP and his struggles to find his way with the help of NSU. Of course, Culture Night wouldn't have been complete without some traditional Japanese dancing, modern dance, taiko by CPP's very own Touzan Taiko, singing, and fun stuff (balloon modelling). Despite the restrictions placed on them due to the pandemic the CPP NSU produced a wonderful show that not only told a story but showcased the talent of its membership.

On Thursday, May 6, 2021 we proudly logged onto the Cal Poly Pomona Honors College Convocation online event. Four years ago when Jordyn was accepted to Cal Poly Pomona she also applied to the Kellogg Honors College. One of the benefits of being in the Honors College was always getting to choose classes first. The trade off was she was required to take Honors College General Education classes, and if she wanted to graduate with honors she had to complete a Capstone project during her senior year. The CPP Honors College Convocation is the culmination of 4 years of hard work and the well-deserved recognition of having completed her Capstone project, "Isolation Game using Monte Carlos Tree Search".

On Thursday, May 20th, Jordyn and Dad drove down to L.A. for Jordyn's Cal Poly Pomona Drive-In Commencement Ceremony. While Commencement wasn't until Sunday the 23rd, Jordyn wanted to get together with her friends beforehand to take pictures and hang out. It had been well over a year since she was able to get together with anyone and she really missed being with them. The first opportunity to see her friends came Friday morning on the 21st. A bunch of Jordyn's Touzan Taiko friends asked her to meet up with them on campus in the morning so they could take some final pictures together before commencement. One of those friends was Kimi from San Jose Betsuin. Jordyn and Kimi used to play basketball against one another back in their elementary school days. They became better friends when they got into high school and attended YBA events together. As luck would have it they both attended CPP and joined the NSU together. As time went on they became closer and have become great friends. Kimi is a great taiko drummer and Jordyn's been lucky to see her perform with Touzan Taiko at the San Jose Obon and the Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational at Stanford University.

After taking pictures with Touzan Taiko, Jordyn hung out with some of her Nikkei Student Union friends. They got lunch at Bopomofo Cafe in San Gabriel and then headed south to the Irvine Spectrum Center where they walked around the outdoor mall and had dinner. Jordyn was so happy to have spent the day with friends after such a long time away. All she could say was how much fun she had.

On Saturday, May 22nd Jordyn hung out with her Montecito friends. These friends all lived on the same floor with Jordyn in her Residence Hall, Montecito during her Freshman year. For lunch, Serena and Jordyn went back to Bopomofo to get boba. Later, they met up with Gracelyn and Caleb for dinner at BCD Tofu House in Rowland Heights. After dinner they went to the Puente Hills Mall (Back to the Future) to catch up but found it was too crowded, so they just sat in the back of Grandpa's truck in the parking lot to talk. Finally, they also drove around to see some other friends before the evening ended (Kobe and Pia). These friends have been there through thick and thin, and we hope Jordyn can maintain all her friendships for a long time.

The morning of Commencement Jordyn woke up early to meet Tera on campus. Tera is one of Jordyn's oldest friends at CPP. They're both Computer Science majors, Kellogg Honors College students, and members of SheCodes, the CPP women's computer coding club. Tera is also from the Bay Area (Concord). Tera drove down the day before and set Sunday morning aside to take pictures with all her friends. Since time was of the essence, we found ourselves running from one location to another looking for familiar CPP backdrops. In the end, Jordyn was overjoyed she was able to get some great pictures with Tera, one of her dearest friends from college.

The time finally came. The last CPP Drive-In Commencement Ceremony of 2021. Since Thursday, May 20th Cal Poly Pomona hosted drive-in graduation commencements at the Pomona Fairplex for all the 2020 and 2021 graduates. The 2021 College of Science graduates were the last group to "walk". The wait was worth it though as we were able to watch Jordyn walk across the stage, hear her name announced with the major she earned her degree in, plus the accolades she received along the way. Needless to say, we are all very proud of her accomplishments, and we only wish she had the chance to actually be on campus with all her friends for the final year and a half. Despite the pandemic, Jordyn finished strong and continues to maintain the friendships she made during her time at Cal Poly Pomona. Next stop, Amazon.