Class IV (2006-2007)

Sponsor Club: Tokyo Koganei , District 2750 , Japan

Prior to commencing her studies at the University of Queensland, Akiko served Japan Association for UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Tokyo between 2001 and 2006.  She holds a Master’s degree in International Communication, and has also worked under the Cabinet Office of Japan as a coordinator for international exchange programmes that bring together youths from South East Asian and East Asian regions.  Akiko was born in Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma), and is a Japanese citizen.  Since she was young, she has developed a strong passion for these regions.  Her encounter with a professor during her undergraduate studies, who had served for UNHCR over twenty years, inspired her interest in the global problem of refugees.