Connect magazine is happy to announce its new team for the 2019-2020 year. These men and women will be working hard to bring you useful, interesting content to help connect you to Japan and the community no matter where you are. Read their profiles and contact information below!
Head Editorial Team | Section Editors | Design and Layout | Social Media | Copy Editors
![]() | Alice RidleyHead Editor | Kia ora folks! I’m Alice Ridley. I am originally from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Otautahi (Christchurch). This will be my second year as Head Editor and collectively third year working with CONNECT. I love being able to meet people from all over Japan to create this magazine for our English speaking community. I hope from reading you can learn about a more unknown Japan. Currently I am based in Gunma, which is a prefecture surrounded by four great mountains. Because of this I have become addicted to scoping out all the amazing hiking Japan has to offer. Now I want to climb a mountain in every country I visit. Other things I’m excited about are podcasts, quiet art galleries, and East Asian culture. |
![]() | Damien LeviAssistant Editor | Tēnā koutou kato, hello everyone! I’m your Head Assistant Editor for the year, Damien. A third-year JET trying to stay clean and look mean on the streets of Tokyo. Although my accent may betray me, I’m from Aotearoa New Zealand, kia ora. I enjoy small social gatherings outside conbini on hot summer nights with cold beers in hand, and cold wintery weekends wrapped up in blankets playing video games. Tokyo’s the intersection of art, culture, technology, fashion and food in Japan — I’m just out here trying to enjoy it all before I bounce. |
![]() | Rhe BaqueroHead Web Editor | Hey, y’all! I’m Rhe from Texas. I am a third year ALT in the great port city of Kobe. This is my third year on CONNECT Magazine. I have a M.A. in Magazine, Newspaper and Online journalism, and I worked as a reporter, editor and multimedia teacher before moving to Japan. I love reading, writing, drawing, sewing, photography, superheroes, rugby and COFFEE. I look forward to spending my time traveling and continuing to improve my Japanese. Follow me on Instagram @ohisamarhe 🙂 |
Head Editorial Team | Section Editors | Design and Layout | Social Media | Copy Editors
![]() | Sarah BaughnGeneral Section | Hello there! I’m Sarah Baughn, one of your General Section Editors. I’ll be supporting the other section editors by filling in stories and gaps when needed. I’m a second year ALT originally from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States who’s moved to the tip of the beautiful Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa. I studied International Relations, Philosophy, and Russian in college, which understandably led to me joining the JET program in Japan. I spend my free time studying Japanese (N2 I’m coming for you) and playing video, board, and tabletop games with friends. I’m currently eagerly awaiting the day I can travel through Japan collecting Goshuin and go to the daily summer kiriko festivals here again! |
![]() | Ashley De La HayeGeneral Section | Hello! I’m Ashley De La Haye, originally from Oxford in the UK. I’m just starting my second year in Japan, in Kobe after transferring from Hokkaido (yay sun again). When I’m not working you’ll find me at the beach or working my way through the izakayas of Japan. I look forward to reading any articles you send my way! |
![]() | Jessica CravenArts | Hello everyone! I’m Jessica Craven and I am a fourth year JET in Saitama prefecture. Originally from Arkansas state in the US, I moved from a small town surrounded by woods in the middle of nowhere to a city just outside of Tokyo. Although I have written a few articles for CONNECT before, I am excited to spend my first year serving as art section editor. I enjoy all forms of art, reading novels, traveling, and learning about world cultures. In my undergraduate days, I double majored in visual art and theatre with a minor in Japanese language, so I’m excited to help cover the art scene in the Tokyo metro and throughout Japan for the English-speaking community through CONNECT. |
![]() | Derek HurstBusiness | Hey everyone, I’m Derek Hurst, the new Business SE. I was on JET from 2008-2011 in Nagano Prefecture, and since then have worked all over Nagano and elsewhere in Japan (Saitama, Tokyo, Hiroshima). I currently live in Hawaii but am returning to Japan as soon as COVID allows! My background is in foreign languages and economics, and I am passionate about getting financial know-how/lifehacks into the hands of JETs so they can leverage their time to benefit their careers. Aside from business and finance my hobbies are playing music (piano/guitar, I am a singer-songwriter!) hiking, skiing and writing. Pleased ta meet ‘cha! |
![]() | Cameron PeaglerCommunity | Hello, my name is Cameron and I am the new Community Section Editor for CONNECT! This will be my second year in JET. Prior to this, I worked as a Registered Nurse, traveled as a Gilman Ambassador, and was a national saber fencer in America (2018-2019). When I’m not exploring Japan, you can find me brewing pour over coffee and experimenting with different beans, teaching fencing in my community, and playing a lot more APEX than I should. You can follow my adventures on Instagram @truhiro. From discrimination to situations surrounding COVID-19, it seems like all you hear about in the media nowadays are negative things, enough so that it can cast a shadow of doubt on the good of humanity. I want to use my section to highlight the awesome things people are doing in their communities! In doing so, I would like to illuminate the light in human nature and bring hope to you, the reader. It is my earnest wish that you will enjoy the articles presented here. With Love, Cameron |
![]() | Alice FrenchCulture | Hello! I’m Alice and I’m super excited to be the Culture Section Editor for CONNECT this year! I hail from Cambridge in the UK, and have just started my second year as a CIR at the Prefectural Office in Yamagata. I spend most of my time at work translating pretty uninspiring admin documents, so I’m hyped to have the chance to work with some more creative and thought-provoking material in the Culture Section! When I’m not at work, I’m trying to hike my way up (and, hopefully, down again) as many of Yamagata’s mountains as I can, always in search of that perfect, instagram-worthy scenic shot! I highly, highly recommend a trip up here to anyone who hasn’t been; Yamagata truly is the most insta-bae place I’ve ever been (and the cherries are delicious too). |
![]() | Rachel FagundesEntertainment | Hello! I’m Rachel, a 4th year ALT in rural Okayama. Originally from California, I was previously the associate editor of Tachyon Publications, and once taught a Lit class at UCSC. I’m very fond of comic books, fantasy novels, the Italian Renaissance, and Japanese Festivals. I’m also very excited to be CONNECT’s entertainment editor for the 2nd year running! So let’s dive right into the wonderful events, strange experiences, and unique entertainment of Japan! |
![]() | Shannon StockerFashion and Beauty | Hi everyone! My name is Shannon and I’m a (soon-to-be) Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme. My hometown is Liverpool, UK – home of The Beatles. I have just graduated from a curating degree at Central Saint Martins in London, which has left me with a soft spot for a good art exhibition. This is my first experience working for CONNECT Magazine, and I’m delighted to be in the role of Fashion & Beauty Editor. I spend much of my time writing, thrift shopping and trying out all the skincare products I lay my eyes on – so this is the perfect role for me. Please drop me an email if you have any interesting fashion and beauty stories or recommendations! |
![]() | Lara YiLanguage | Hi there! I’m Lara Yi, an Incoming JET from Washington, DC. This is my first experience working with CONNECT, and I’m so very much looking forward to getting back in touch with my creative spirit and learning more about Japan. Coming from a Chinese American background, I love learning about the overlap between Chinese and Japanese, and I hope to eventually become fluent enough to call myself trilingual. Aside from CONNECT and studying Japanese, you can also find me exploring my local neighborhoods, playing tennis, and cooking Asian-influenced cuisine. I’m always looking for new and fun ways to make the Language section the best it can be, so please feel free to send an email and say hello! |
![]() | Kayla FrancisSports | Hello everyone! My name is Kayla and I’m from London, UK. I was born in South Africa and I’m now moving on to my second year in Tokyo, so it’s fair to say I love to travel. I will be the magazine’s sports editor. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in sports with (hopefully) the Olympics taking place next year. Sports has always been fairly intimidating, but it has never been more accessible especially in a beautiful country like Japan, where you have everything available regardless of what kind of activity you enjoy. From scuba diving, skiing and scenic hikes, Japan really has it all. In my spare time, I enjoy eating my way through Tokyo, exploring Japan, reading and pilates. I hope you’re as excited about learning what this country has to offer as I am! If you would like to read more from me then feel free to check out my blog: https://passportsandcookbooks.com/ |
![]() | Clarissa CombeTravel | Nice to meet you everyone! My name is Clarissa Combe, and I’ll be taking over as the Travel Section Editor for the next year! Although I grew up in the metropolis that is London and spent a year studying abroad in Kobe, I am now fully converted to the inaka life as I start my third year as a CIR for Aomori Prefecture. Having fallen in love with Tohoku and rural Japan myself, I hope to shine a spotlight on some of the lesser-travelled regions of Japan over the next year. When I’m not translating my days away in the office, I spend my time horseback riding, studying Korean, reading, and longing for the day COVID calms down so I can travel and jump in the Nebuta Festival again! |
![]() | Clare BraganzaWellness | Hello! I’m Clare, a JET based in the misty mountains of Fukushima, a.k.a. Lucky Island. I hail from the rolling hills of England, but I also lived in Germany before coming here – if you speak German, sag mir Bescheid! This is my second year in Japan and with CONNECT, so I’ve been through a rollercoaster of amazing highs, the odd low, and bouts of homesickness over the past year. Our own well-being is always important, but we need to take extra care of ourselves when we’re abroad! My ways of coping were signing up for events outside my comfort zone (canyoning is scary), trying a new hobby (gospel choirs are awesome), and going for runs after work. Also writing. Lots and lots of writing. What cheers you up? What keeps you motivated even on a bad day, or has helped you settle into Japan? Send me an email, and let’s work on that article together! P.S. Sometimes I write about my adventures on this blog. |
Head Editorial Team | Section Editors | Design and Layout | Social Media | Copy Editors
Head Editorial Team | Section Editors | Design and Layout | Social Media | Copy Editors
Head Editorial Team | Section Editors | Design and Layout | Social Media | Copy Editors
![]() | Hoong Shao TingSocial Media | Hello! Shao Ting here, and I’m from the Little Red Dot, Singapore. I’m a multilingual language enthusiast who majored in Linguistics, moving on to my second year as an ALT in Ueda City, Nagano. When I’m not busy preaching about how amazing Language is, you can find me planning my next trip or blogging about my previous ones – I am happily crossing off my bucket list dedicated to the different parts of Japan by season. Follow my adventures @inSakuraLand ! |