A teacher and activist, Aki Kurose spent her life advocating for education and social justice through pacifism. Through her beliefs in peace and nonviolence, she worked towards the betterment of her community, advocated for desegregation, and strove to improve education.
Naomi Osaka is one of the world’s greatest tennis players, having won numerous tournaments and awards and reaching the rank of World No. 1. Her openness about her struggles with mental health and the pressure of expectations inspired many athletes and others to share their own stories.
Dr. Linda M. Dairki Shortliffe built a successful career in the relatively new field of pediatric urology when very few women surgeons were doing such work. Since 1988, she has been at the Stanford University School of Medicine Medical Center and Packard Children’s Hospital as chief of pediatric urology. Since 1993, she has also been director of the Urology Residency Program at Stanford, and has been successful in recruiting more women physicians to her specialty.
Biologist, immunologist, and biotechnology executive with decades of experience leading teams in drug research and development. Molecules and therapeutics developed under her leadership have become critical treatments for HIV, cystic fibrosis, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, and Hepatitis C.
Japanese-American artist, children’s book author, and civic activist who worked with the OSS (predecessor to the CIA)
Iva Toguri D’Aquino, who gained notoriety as the mythical Tokyo Rose, was the seventh person to be convicted of treason in U.S. history.
Kiyome Hirai Tsuda was a kibei, a US citizen educated in Japan, who exemplified the deep connections between Hawai‘i and Japan before World War II.
Dr. Barbara Riley is the first person from her hometown of Dillingham, Alaska, to become a physician and the first Alaskan Native appointed to the medical staff at Alaska’s Kanakanak Hospital.
Educator and disability rights activist
Japanese-American Shintō priestess who spent part of World War II imprisoned at Honouliuli Internment Camp on O’ahu, Hawai’i