Six high school students from Sendai, Japan, recently spent a week exploring the Dallas area. They checked out Toyota’s new headquarters in Plano, …
Six high school students from Sendai, Japan, recently spent a week exploring the Dallas area. They checked out Toyota’s new headquarters in Plano, Dallas City Hall, Globe Life Park, the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Sixth Floor Museum, to name a few of their stops.
Organized by the Japan-American Society of Dallas-Fort Worth, their visit was part of the 2017 Dallas-Sendai Young Ambassadors exchange program, which promotes understanding between the two International Friendship Cities. A grant from the Tomodachi Najas Grassroots Exchange Program provides financial support.
While here, the students also joined other Japanese students visiting North Texas as part of Fort Worth Sister Cities’ Nagaoka Harashin Scholars program. Both groups took part in a discussion on cultural perceptions at SMU.
« It is very important to learn about other cultures to understand one another, » said Hikaru Tatara, 16, of Sendai.
Both groups also watched a Texas Rangers game on Japan Night. Baseball is extremely popular in Japan, and the country just won the Little League World Series by beating Lufkin 12-2.
To learn more, visit jasdfw.org. Honoring engineers
The Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter is much newer at just 28 years old. At the chapter’s recent awards banquet at the Renaissance Hotel in Richardson, organizers marked the milestone with the theme, « Engineering the Impossible for the Next Centennial. »
The event included presentation of several awards to companies and people. Centennial Awards went to Texas Instruments, Oncor Electric, Diodes Inc. and BNSF Railway. Nineteen students received the 2017 Young Achiever Award.
At a reception beforehand, Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker presented Outstanding Community Service Awards to Dr. Mark W. Spong of the University of Texas at Dallas, Grace Tyler and Dr. Xinfen Chen.
The evening ended with introduction of new chapter officers.
Learn more at cie-dfw.org. Music award
Noah Yi has a long list of music awards. He just received another one by winning first prize in the International Clarinet Association High School Competition. It’s the first time a Dallas-area student has won the competition, which took place in Orlando, Fla.
A student at Plano West Senior High, Noah studies the clarinet with his father, Kwanghoon Yi, principal clarinetist of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. His father’s talent seems to have rubbed off on the young musician. Noah has already soloed with the Plano Symphony Orchestra, appeared with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and plays with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.
He also was grand-prize winner of the 2017 Collin County Young Artist Competition and made the All State Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and 2017. Upcoming events
Saturday
The Crow Collection, 2010 Flora St. in Dallas, will host a program called « A Day in Edo » from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free. Find more at crowcollection.org .
Chamber Music International will present a free concert in honor of the late Jungshin Lim Lewis at 2 p.m. at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church, 1220 W. Belt Line Road in Richardson. For details, call 972-385-7267.
The Confucius Salon presents a forum called « Chinese Martial Arts and its Philosophical Foundation » at 4 p.m. in Room JO 4.102 at the University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road in Richardson. Free.
Sept. 6
« Self Care Matters: Ayurvedic Wisdom for the Modern You » will be from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays in September at the Trammell Crow Center, 2001 Ross Ave., Suite 3550, in Dallas. The cost is free for members; $10 per class; or $35 for the series. To register, go to bit.ly/2fOON7e .
Sept. 7
The Institute for Policy Innovation will present a lecture by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai at noon at the Omni Mandalay hotel, 221 E. Las Colinas Blvd. in Irving. To register, visit bit.ly/2xH2PLO .
Sept. 16
The Japan-America Society will host its fourth annual Sun & Star Golf Classic at 11: 30 a.m. at Cowboys Golf Club, 1600 Fairway Drive in Grapevine. Find more at jasdfw.org .
Twitter: @debbiewfleck
