Hello!

My name is Takashi. I am the new editor of the BCNN.

I attended KU as an international student in the late 1980's. I have fond memories of the JB White House and going to New York City with the International Student group. I still remember teaching some of the American students how to eat using chop sticks. That was so funny!

It was at Kutztown that I was encouraged to follow my heart and become an education major. At that time, men in Japan did not become teachers. My friends and the faculty at Kutztown gave me the courage to be true to myself and to follow my dreams although that meant I would class with the cultural norms expected from men in my country.  I will forever be grateful to them.

I dated a girl at KU and we were eventually engaged. Sadly, her father, a Berks County resident, refused to allow me to marry his daughter. He had been in Vietnam and refused to trust anyone of Asian descent.  Having lost face, I returned to Japan.

I now live in Tokyo with my family and I am a teacher. I still remember fondly my days in Berks County and keep in touch with many of my college friends. I am deeply saddened to hear what is going on in that county now, especially the fact that children are suffering.

I look forward to working with the staff and those in authority in Berks County to make things better for the children and the families living in the county.