Between Cultures
Photos by Chris Constantine
Japanese Student Association President Koa Kellenberger’s Journey to Creating Community
“I realized…Wow, I made a movie!”
CSUN sophomore and Japanese Student Association President Koa Kellenberger leads a group activity during the JSA club meeting. (Chris Constantine | Scene Magazine)
When other kids got a Nintendo DS, Koa Kellenberger got an iPod Touch. While other kids were playing games, he was recording videos.
Today, the 21-year-old sophomore majors in film production at California State University, Northridge. But that’s not all he is doing.
Kellenberger finds time to juggle two jobs, fraternity duties, and perhaps one of his most important responsibilities: being president of the Japanese Student Association at CSUN.
“There’s just a lot on your plate,” Kellenberger said. “And so I was worried but I was willing to give up on other things…because I really cared about the Japanese Student Association being a proper club at CSUN.”
Born from a Japanese mother and an American father, Kellenberger was raised in Tokyo, Japan. He moved to Los Angeles in 2019 specifically for his goal of working in film. Living in the states was not his first exposure to American culture, however. That happened when he was still living in Tokyo.
Kellenberger attended an international school called the “American School in Japan.” Located in Chōfu, a city in the western suburbs of Tokyo, the school’s curriculum was mostly taught in English.
“I did APs, we had an American football team, it was literally an American school that was just placed in Japan,” Kellenberger said. “That was my education growing up, so I spoke both languages. Then I came here when I was 18 to start my college life.”
Kellenberger knew quickly after his move that he wanted to have a support group of other Japanese students. In his Freshman year he sought a network of people in case of any troubles or culture shocks of living in America, he said.
Wanting that connection with Japan and people with similar experiences, Kellenberger found what he was looking for in the Japanese Student Association, or JSA.
“Although I was exposed to the culture, I’ve never actually lived here,” Kellenberger said. “I wanted that safety net, that comforting group of people to support me.”
Kellenberger soon recognized specific nuances of both American and Japanese culture. From the use of unfamiliar slang, to the different experiences of social gatherings.
The merging of cultures was important to Kellenberger. As a half-Japanese half-American student, he understood what many mixed ethnicity and multiracial people experience in the melting pot of America — a sort of disconnection from cultures, a feeling of not belonging, an imposter syndrome. Feelings that may only increase alongside the country’s multiracial population.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of multiracial people has increased a staggering 276% since 2010 with over 33 million people identifying as mixed-race.
“Not everyone always feels like they’re a part of a culture,” Kellenberger said. “They’re oftentimes not both, but neither…I want the club to represent a safe space for that.”
A 2015 study by Pew Research Center found distinctions in how mixed-race people are influenced to shape their racial identity. A “multiracial identity gap” was described with a majority 61% saying they were not multiracial though born with multiple racial backgrounds. This is further explained in a survey in which people described their own racial identity based on how they believe others see them.
These identity gaps that are commonly linked and unique to being a multiracial person are addressed by Kellenberger’s hopes for JSA as an organization.
“Not everyone in our club is Japanese, and we really welcome that because we want diversity and Japanese people to talk to non-Japanese people,” said Kelleberger.
Before he became president, Kellenberger was recognized for his dedication to the organization and was invited to become an officer in his second semester as a freshman. But after COVID-19 hit, the club sort of disappeared, he said.
After coming back from a gap year during the height of the pandemic, Kellenberger was approached by a previous officer to start the club again. Excited and willing, he helped to rewrite the JSA Constitution and re-established it as an official club at CSUN.
“They signed me as president and I wasn’t reluctant about it,” Kellenberger said. “Just because that gives me a lot of, in some ways, a big voice and influence in how the club goes.”
Pre-COVID, JSA threw events and activities for its members, but mostly it was supposed to be a centralized hub for Japanese students to get together so they could make plans, Kellenberger added.
CSUN sophomore and Japanese Student Association President Koa Kellenberger stands outside the JSA meeting room at the University Student Union building at CSUN. (Chris Constantine | Scene Magazine)
“I want JSA to not be so much of a club that offers events, and then people come together and leave separately once again,” said Kellenberger. “I want it to be more of a place where people can get together, and have those friendships continue for years to come.”
Kellenberger was able to meet with friends that he had gotten close to at CSUN during his gap year in Tokyo. This reflects what he wants JSA to be for everyone else. Something that brings people together so that they can grow independently is the ultimate vision of JSA, he said.
As club president, Kellenberger retains quite a few responsibilities. Checking in with people, working with PR for engagement and keeping a schedule are among a few of his duties. His biggest job is to make sure everyone else does theirs.
What he puts into the club is received back. Kellenberger recalled feeling the weight and authority of his title for the first time during a fundraiser at a local boba shop. Since becoming president he felt a pressure, a good pressure, to talk to people, he said. His role pushed him outside of his comfort zone with the thought of wanting to be a good president, he explained further.
“There’s always that want, but no real push, if that makes sense,” Kellenberger said. “And that title attached to my name really pushed me to do what I’ve always wanted to do. Which was to just be more social and meet new people.”
While other Asian cultural clubs at CSUN may boast more members, Kellenberger is satisfied with the JSA head count of around 50 people. This number may be a reflection of the Japanese population in the country.
Out of all Asian American ethnic groups, Japanese people account for only 7%, according to a 2019 Pew Research analysis. Though California as a whole is home to more Japanese people than any other state.
The JSA welcomes diversity in its members, but the possibility of losing a deeper connection between members to a larger population is a concern of Kellenberger for JSA.
“‘The more the merrier’ is great but we also like to maintain a sense of closeness,” Kellenberger said. “So we don’t want it to get too big to a point where club members don’t know each other.”
The concern for closeness within his community may be a result of a lack of spaces for Japanese people.
There are such few areas around LA that remain a place for Japanese people to enjoy their heritage and culture. Even Little Tokyo is being gentrified and disappearing, said Kellenberger. He hopes JSA can fill that void for all students, regardless of background.
“JSA is supposed to be a community where Japanese people and people who have interest in Japan can get together and appreciate the culture and enjoy the things that it gives us,” said Kellenberger. “But also take comfort in knowing that there are similar people around you … that you are not alone.”
