Glendale High School junior Emerson Whiting was born in Hollywood. She likes reading and playing volleyball, and she is a member of our CIF State Champion girls varsity volleyball team. She also really loves origami and has provided our school with a very welcome method for connecting with Japanese culture. A decent number of GHS students have come from Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School, which has the Japanese Dual Immersion Program, and it’s a good connecting point for these students and their culture.
Along with being in varsity volleyball and the creator and president of Origami Club, Emerson is also the secretary of the Best Buddies Club, and she is also a part of both CSF and NHS. She’s had a great high school experience so far, and her involvement has played a large role in that. While many others may be nervous about their senior year, she is very excited for it to begin.
The Origami Club exists because of Emerson and the help of her Japanese teacher, Ms. Tae Okuda. At first, Emerson played off the idea of starting the club, but then she started to believe in it. She said that Origami Club teaches you how to connect with a culture other than yours, to meet some new friends, and to express your creative side.
Emerson has some long-term plans for the future of her club as well. She has been reaching out to retirement homes and hospitals, and she is hoping to hold origami workshops there. These plans are currently underway, and it’s a great way to both engage with the community and still do something that she enjoys. The club is lucky to have such a good and civic person at its head.
Emerson hopes that her club will continue after she graduates, but she doesn’t know for sure. The number of Japanese students at our school is dropping, and as the club’s goal is to get more people in touch with their culture, that’s a scary prospect. Luckily for them, the Origami Club hasn’t faced insurmountable obstacles, and apparently, their most challenging issue is not ripping the paper.
If you are interested in joining the Origami Club, follow them on Instagram: @ghs.origamiclub, or please contact their advisor, Ms. Yvie Raij, at [email protected].
Get that paper, Nitros!
