Meeting Mrs. Abe and the Japanese delegation- by Maki

Maki with her mother (left) and Mrs. Abe (right)

Along with the Japanese Consulate from midtown Manhattan, Mrs. Akie Abe, the wife of Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, and Mrs. Masako Takahashi, the wife of the Ambassador, visited Girl AGain to observe and learn about a job skills development program for young women on the autism spectrum.

I appreciated their interest in learning about the differences between the support the Japanese and Americans receive for employment.

I am fluent in Japanese and I wish I spoke more Japanese with them, but I respected the trainees, job coaches, and staff members do not understand the language.

Maki handling sale of doll Jess for Mrs. Abe

I enjoyed conducting sales transaction for Mrs. Abe when she bought Jess doll in her meet outfit.

I thought the Japanese women were friendly and attentive when they asked me questions about my experiences. I was particularly excited and nervous to meet Mrs. Abe and Mrs. Takahashi because I am Japanese, which makes me unique from everyone at Girl AGain.

More about the visit

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Maki Tezuka is a graduate of Manhattanville College and a trainee with Yes She Can.  She is now looking for a job and would like to work in an office using her skills, especially in data entry.