In 1968, Monterey Park community members including Terry and Ryoko Suzuki had helped establish the Monterey Park-Nachikatsuura Sister City Association. This was the first sister-city association in Monterey Park.
Since then, high school students from Monterey Park and Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, have been selected as student ambassadors to represent their cities in alternating years. The student exchange program helps to strengthen the goodwill between the cities and provides youth the opportunity to learn and understand the customs and cultures of other countries.
Then-President Dwight Eisenhower established what he referred to as the “People-to-People” program in 1956. Today there are more than 2,100 sister-city affiliations in 121 countries around the world.
This year marked the 57th anniversary of the Monterey Park-Nachikatsuura sister-city relationship. The association has selected as this year’s student ambassadors Mark Keppel High School students Riley Beightler and Hannah Ng. Both are Girl Scouts and are candidates for the Gold Award.
Riley is a member of CSF, NHS, K-Pop Club and Japanese Club and is a captain of the MKHS Swim Team. Hannah is president of her church youth group. She enjoys working with the youth at their summer camp and Girl Scout troop. She is also the captain of the MKHS Girls Golf Team.
The students began their 11-day trip by attending the World Expo in Osaka, where the theme of “Celebration of Innovation and Culture” rang true throughout their stay. Not only did they discover more about many countries at the Expo, but they also learned about how these countries are building the smart cities of tomorrow.
The Expo featured 158 countries and various other global organizations. The students were able to broaden their horizons at the Expo and experienced worlds of the past, present and future.
Next, the students got a taste of everyday Nachikatsuura life, culture, food and customs during their home-stays with former Japanese student ambassadors and their families. They attended the annual Fire Festival, which took place at Nachi Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The students also participated in many other activities such as a traditional tea ceremony, calligraphy writing, a Zen meditation session, and a day exploring a zoo called Adventure World. Rounding out their trip, the students spent a day at Shingu High School, where they interacted with students and experienced life as typical Japanese high-schoolers.
“We are so grateful for this opportunity,” said Riley. “Hannah and I couldn’t ever have imagined traveling halfway around the world, eating such delicious food, and learning about the Japanese culture and lifestyle. It really gave us a different perspective on life and we are so fortunate to have experienced the trip.”