60th Cherry Blossom Festival Contestant
Erin Mie Hi’ileialoha Morimoto
Parents: Gayle Morimoto and the late Colin Morimoto
High School: Punahou School, 2005
College: University of Southern California, 2009 and University of Hawai‘i- Mānoa, 2011
Degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Marketing, 2009; Master of Education in Teaching, 2011
Occupation: Middle School Language Arts Teacher
Ambition: To be an active participant in both increasing awareness of the issues within our nation's education system and in working towards a solution.
Interests: Dancing hula, sharing a delicious meal with friends and family, reading a good book
Simple ozoni, sweetkuromame, and a green kadomatsu near the doorway, are but a sampling of the Japanese tradition, which I value most: New Year’s Day. However, for me, the significance of New Year’s Day stems not from the tradition itself, but rather from the sense of family and love, which binds it together. As a Nikkei go-sei, I realize that my New Year’s Day does not completely align to the true Japanese tradition, as my family has integrated our ancestral Japanese culture with our American one. Yes, we eat our ozoni while watching the Rose Bowl, and perhaps we have roast chicken with our sekihan, but the reason and importance of maintaining this tradition remains consistent: our family is together. More significantly, the importance of family, of love, and of loyalty are present as ever, which is why New Year’s Day is the Japanese tradition I value the most.