Jada-chan

“Being able to slowly obtain more knowledge about the language every day makes me feel as though I’m being drawn closer to my identity every day. Achieving that feeling whenever I can pushes me to learn more.”

Student Profile:

Jada Yamashita, Class of 2023

Co-Leader of Japanese Language Club

Learning Japanese holds great significance for Jada, who identifies as half Japanese. She started the Japanese Language Club at SAAS with co-leader Sai Piplani. Together they have been running the club since the spring of 2021.

“I think the most inspiring thing I have learned so far about the Japanese language is the way it establishes relationships. Japanese honorifics are almost like titles for people that allow you to show where you stand with another person. Saying someone’s name and adding things like “-chan” at the end of it can mean that you share a close relationship with that person. Not only this but even saying someone’s first name in Japan typically means you’ve established a very tight bond with that person because it’s custom to address someone else by their last name. In a way, I find this to be heartwarming because, in Japan, names and titles hold such significance.”

SAAS SNAPSHOT: Visual Arts

Lucy Dillard (left) and Nandiniy Velayudhan-Dhamrait, Class of 2024, work together to assemble a slab-built vase in ceramics class taught by Annalise Olson ’09.