Licensing

Katie Mori - Keiro Senior Healthcare - Southern California

Who are you?
My name is Katie Mori. I am currently attending California State University, Monterey Bay majoring in psychology with a minor in social work. Even though I go to school in Northern California, I am originally from the Los Angeles area. I hope to continue working in with older adults either as a career or as a volunteer.

Where you interning at?
I am interning at Keiro Senior Healthcare in the Southern California Little Tokyo region.

Who's your supervisor?
My supervisor is Brandon Leong, community resource director at Keiro.

What projects have you been working on over the past few weeks?
I have been primarily working on the volunteer project transitioning from paper sign-in to electronic sign-in. This will greatly improve our facilities travolunteer statistics as well as aid in the case of an emergency. I also have planned a few events that include Camp Musubi's visit and the NCI intern day at Keiro.

Any memorable experiences so far?
The most memorable experience here is how the staff treats me. It all started with the sad tale of how horrible I am with names. I don't know why it was difficult, I'm usually not this bad. I even made a map of the office to try to remember everyone's name. On a weekly basis, my co-workers test me on who walks by or who comes into the office. Also, they often call each other by different names just to try to confuse me. Although embarrassing, I relish it. Through this act I know that I am loved and accepted.

Thoughts on the NCI program as a whole?
The Nikkei Community Internship program is a very special program. I don’t know of any of other program that has this unique blend of culture and work. The intern days were especially helpful because they gave us tools to use to enhance skills we already had and then the next week I could apply what I had learned. This program is a very hands-on kind of program that I have been very blessed to be a part of.

Any advice for next year's NCI interns?
Keep an open mind, pay attention, and just go for it. You never know what you’ll find out about yourself or about the community around you.