Hey guys! My name is AJ Koikoi and for the next year, I will be living in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan! Kurashiki is the city I am in, Okayama is the prefecture. Prefectures in Japan are like states, and I live in a pretty rural prefecture and an extremely rural city! I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland, however, I attended college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at a school called Franklin & Marshall. I graduated from Franklin & Marshall in May of this year.
I am a huge football fan, my favorite team is the Baltimore Ravens. I played college football and as my college football career grew it made me think about the psychology behind playing sports. I specifically became interested in the cultural reasons for teamwork and why certain cultures are more likely to work together! This research of mine started as academic school work, however, it quickly became a hobby of mine as well. I have conducted research with the Milwaukee Bucks and met many great NBA legends and newcomers within the league due to my research.
I have two siblings, a little brother who is a sophomore at Miami (OH) University and a little sister who is applying to college this year. My mother and father are originally from Liberia, although they now live in the United States. They keep us immersed in the culture of Liberia.
