Queen & Court Program

Queen Juli Yoshinaga

Japanese Restaurant Association of America

Juli Yoshinaga is 23 years old and graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. She currently works at Warner Brothers Entertainment Group in multicultural marketing. She would like to continue working in her field and one day become a decision maker to ensure that diverse communities are being reflected on the big screen. Her hobbies include cooking with her mother and volunteering for the Japanese American Citizens League. Yoshinaga has chosen Women Make Movies as her platform.

During her speech, Yoshinaga spoke about struggling to find her identity, growing up as a multigenerational Japanese American. Her father is sansei (third generation Japanese American) and her mother is issei or (first generation Japanese American). She went on to say that pivotal experiences like being part of the Nikkei Student Union in college helped her embrace the beauty of being multigenerational and recognize that you can come from different generations and experiences but all still be Japanese American. She is the daughter of Tim and Mifumi Yoshinaga of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, and was sponsored by the Japanese Restaurant Association of America.

Miss Tomodachi Kara Chizuru Ito

Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council

Kara Chizuru Ito is 22 years old and recently graduated from Concordia University Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in pre-physical therapy. Ito currently works as a sales educator at Lululemon, an athletic apparel store. She hopes to become a pediatric and orthopedic physical therapist and one day open her own practice. In her spare time, she enjoys playing board games and basketball, as well as volunteering at Cornerstone Pediatric Physical Therapy Clinic. Ito has chosen to support CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) Children’s Foundation, as her platform.

Ariel Mei Imamoto

San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center

Ariel Mei Imamoto is 22 years old and graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She currently works as an accounts payable specialist at Tillys, a clothing company. Imamoto plans to obtain a CPA license and pursue a career in public accounting. Her hobbies include playing basketball, yoga, hiking, and learning about her family history and heritage. She has chosen Active Minds as her platform this year.