Hello hello! I'm Ryo Ikeda, a senior at Walled Lake Central High School in Walled Lake, Michigan. I was born in Japan and came to the United States when I was 5 years old. Ever since, I have been going to Japanese Saturday School which led me to become a passionate advocate for cross-cultural understanding and collaboration. The founding of Ringo Connect helped me create fulfilling relationships with people with similar interests and helped me realize my genuine passion for helping my community. Besides my experience in tutoring, I also have experience working with Ted Talk Translators where I Iower language barriers so people can spread ideas worth sharing. Whenever I'm not working on Ringo Connect, you can often find me playing the viola , learning Spanish , fishing , volunteering , doing MUN , or hanging with friends!

Hi, my name is Touma Yoneyama, an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan. I work as a secretary at Ringo Connect. My tutoring experience ranges from being a volunteer tutor at Hinoki Foundation to working as a paid tutor at Takenoko Tutoring. By partaking in the board of Ringo Connect, I aim to strengthen my leadership and management skills while simultaneously promoting my passion for teaching Japanese.

Hello! My name is Teruaki Kimishima and I work as Treasurer and Website Coordinator, here at Ringo Connect! I am an undergraduate at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, majoring Computer Science. I was born/raised in Saitama, Japan and moved over to Michigan during the elementary school. I have experience working at the Kumon, the afterschool learning center, and taught math and reading to students. Outside of Ringo Connect, I work as the tutor of America Reads, do the research with professor, or just hanging out with my friends!

Hi! My name is Ako Hayashi. I am currently a junior at Novi High School, Michigan and am scheduled to graduate this year. Among my activities in this group, I create four-character idioms and flyers. In addition, I have experience working as an after school tutor, where I help students balance their studies in both English and Japanese. I deeply hope that these activities will be of assistance to someone in their language learning.

Hello, I'm Sayaka Minami, a junior at International Academy West. I work as an Officer of Translation at Ringo Connect! I was born and raised in New York until I moved to Michigan 5 years ago. I don't have any previous tutoring or professional translation experience, but ever since I was little I remember being the translator between friends who speak English and who speak Japanese. Some of my hobbies are drawing, singing, and spending time with friends. I hope I can make new ones while I work at Ringo Connect :)

Hello, I am Haruo Amano. I am currently a second year Biophysics Student at the University of Michigan. My passion for tutoring developed 3 years ago when I was entrusted to tutor privately for two newcomers that had just come from Japan right before the pandemic. My interests in Japanese are strongly derived from the games I played as a child as well as my weekly routine of practicing Kendo at DKD. I joined Ringo Connect so I can continue to assist those who are transitioning into the English speaking society of the US and to further develop my appreciation for the Japanese language.

Hi! I'm Miina Nakashima. I am currently a junior at Lakeview high school in Michigan. I work as an officer of Public Relations here at Ringo Connect. I was born and raised in Japan most of the time, except I had lived in Prague, Czech Republic during my elementary and middle school years for four years. I moved to Michigan one and a half years ago. I have been looking for an opportunity where I can share my experiences of living abroad as well as cultural exchange experiences and wanted to make good use of it. This hope perfectly matched with the vision Ringo Connect holds. So, I wanted to bring my skills I learned through Marketing class and as a member of DECA (a high school business organization) to Public Relations in Ringo Connect. My hobbies are running (cross country), dancing, listening to music and hanging out with my friends! I hope I can make a good connection between you and us so you can enjoy this international exchange experience!

Hi everyone! I'm Mei Inagaki, a sophomore at International Academy East. I'm working as the Officer of Human Resources at Ringo Connect. I was born in Japan and moved to Mexico, went back to Japan, then came to Michigan four years ago. From these experiences of going back and forth between Japan and other countries, I became interested in cross-cultural communication. Especially, I love the languages and the food of the cultures because they are all unique and profound. Therefore, I'm willing to help people who are interested in Japanese culture through Ringo Connect. I hope I can help spread Japanese culture and the importance of it!

Hello, I'm Yuka Sukita. I'm currently a senior at Novi High School in Michigan. I work as the Officer of Editorial Design at Ringo Connect. Originally from Japan, I moved to Michigan three years ago. Initially, I struggled with the language barrier when I arrived in the US, but I've since overcome it. Recently, I've been tutoring two Japanese elementary school students who have just moved to here, helping them learn English. I have a passion for experiencing different cultures and have traveled to six countries so far. Drawing from these experiences, I aim to create videos that will be clear and engaging. I hope my videos will foster a deeper understanding of language and culture between Japan and the U.S.