2015-16 JACL
Norman Y. Mineta Fellow Merissa Nakamura
By National JACL Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Merissa Nakamura has been selected as the 2015-16 JACL Norman Y. Mineta Fellow.
Nakamura is working out of the organization’s Washington, D.C., office and began her yearlong fellowship on Sept. 21.
Nakamura is a Yonsei hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah. As an undergraduate, she served as the JACL Salt Lake City Chapter president and youth representative and was an active student leader in the University of Utah’s Asian American Student Assn.
Previously, Nakamura worked with the University of Utah student population to examine the campus climate for LGBTQ students in an effort to create discrimination documentation and policy recommendations.
She is passionate about creating safer spaces for those in the LGBTQ community and hopes to continue building relationships with queer and transgender communities of color. Nakamura is honored to be selected for the fellowship and looks forward to working with the Japanese American community and broader Asian American Pacific Islander community.
