Each year a new MAJET Committee takes the reins, ready to harness the awesomeness that is Miyazaki Prefecture and share it with the world. This year we’ve got quite a few new faces, as well as some seasoned veterans, ready to give you the best Miyazaki has to offer. So, without further ado, MAJETを紹介します！
El Presidente and Secretary Extraordinaire, Jodi Dobinsky!
With a mind for administration and project management, Jodi is the one who will make sure the rest of us get stuff done and ensure that everything goes off without a hitch. We tried to relieve her of her secretarial duties, but about five minutes into our first meeting her fingers itched so much that she demanded the keyboard. Honestly, Cassie was very relieved, as her keyboard is terrible anyways.
Vice President and Public Relations Commander, Makaya Moore!
The MAJET community continues to grow and flourish, and MAJET’s inbox is regularly filled with requests for help and collaboration proposals. We needed someone with experience in such matters to help us give our community the best help they could get. Enter Makaya! In addition to her VP and PR duties, Makaya will also be putting her adventuring nature and mad blogging skills to use creating new content for the MAJET website and interesting stories for the blog. She’s just brimming with ideas, so keep an eye out for her next project!
Captain of Communications, Historian, and Face-Behind-the-Camera,
Cassie Conrad!
You’ll often see Cassie taking way too many photos at events (which is partially why her blog posts are always so late), or running around trying to do fifty things at once. The website and blog have always been her babies, but the past two years have had her over her head in events instead of giving them the love and attention they deserve. This year she’s handed off the reins to Peter and Aurian so she can focus on her goals with the help of Jon and Makaya.
Trilingual Mythical Being and MAJET Attack Fowl, Manu Somerville!
Manu “Several Hundred Birds in a Trenchcoat” Somerville is often seen soaring about in the form of an eagle, but don’t let that fool you. Beneath that immaculately-plumed exterior is a walking Pokedex (but for bugs) with a penchant for making weird noises. Armed with a passable mastery of her native languages of English, Japanese, and Assorted Zoological Rumblings, Manu begrudges her way through MAJET’s linguistic challenges with a minimal amount of squawking.
Supreme Executor of Events, Peter Bagley!
Peter’s a man that takes charge and gets things done, which is just what MAJET needs to fire things up! Miyazaki’s own party king and resident Super Smash Bros. guru is just itching to introduce some new events this year, so watch out for what he’s got in store. Always having a finger on the pulse of Miyazaki City, Peter’s your go-to guy to find out what kind of events MAJET’s got in the pipeline. Just be careful if you challenge him to video games because, you know, guru and all.
Exuberant Event Planner and Inquisitive Investigator, Aurian Eghbalian!
Aurian has only been in Miyazaki for one year, but in that time she’s managed to become an expert in ferreting out new and interesting things to see and do. From food trucks and festivals to restaurants and retreats, Aurian is always finding awesome and unique experiences around the prefecture and spreading the word to anyone with an ear. We’re super excited to see the events she and Peter come up with this year, and you should be, too!
Minimally Coerced Community Coordinator and Jouzu Nihongo Ninja,
Jon Moore!
Jon might say that Makaya dragged him into it, and that’s probably true, but we all know that he’s got the skills and know-how to really amp up Miyazaki’s community involvement. Having grown up in Japan, Jon sometimes seems more Japanese than American, which gives him an edge as Manu’s linguistic cohort. Alongside Cassie and Makaya, Jon is also bursting with plans to help make the website more dynamic and user-friendly, and is already neck deep into researching ways to accomplish that.
Cordial Community Dabbler, Tamlyn Gibbs!
Coming into only her second year on JET, Tam has already become an active member of the Miyazaki community, often volunteering her free time for conversation lessons. Along with Jon, she’ll be helping to put MAJET’s best foot forward into the community and with the general machinations that keep MAJET running smoothly. Brimming with motivation and always eager to lend a hand, expect to see Tam around quite a bit this year!
Mathmagician and Treasure Keeper, Kyle Spencer!
It may not look like he does anything, but behind the scenes Kyle’s busy with his numerical wizardry making sure you get the most MAJET awesomeness for the least amount of Yennies. In addition, he’ll also be safeguarding the vast MAJET trove until it’s called upon. When you want to rent a tent, sleeping bag, or barbecue grill, Kyle’s the one you’ll have to pester.
miyazakiajet.org 