Since the 1920s, The Rafu Shimpohas dedicated time and space each year to recognize Nikkei graduates across Southern California. For the last several decades, that celebration has been in the form of a special supplement, containing feature stories, personal ads for graduates and lists of Nikkei grads from high schools and colleges across the state and around the country.

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to produce our grad issue to the standards that we feel fulfill the mission of paying tribute to the young people who have achieved some of the most important accomplishments of their lives.

This year, we are faced with circumstances that have delayed the way of producing our usual pull-out graduation section. It takes hundreds of hours – if not more – to assemble what is needed for the supplement: photos from graduation ceremonies around the region, compelling feature stories about graduates and their families, and creating and coordinating the personal and display ads.

Among the obstacles is the increasingly limited access to lists of Nikkei graduates from schools. Privacy concerns and unpublished class lists make it all but impossible for us to compile rosters of all those who are receiving diplomas.

For years, we have painstakingly read through commencement programs to try our best to pick out the names of Japanese origin. For example, in the case of USC, that means painstakingly sifting through 20,000 names or more. And in spite of double- and triple-checking those lists, we will miss Nikkei students who happen to have non-Japanese names.

The Rafucommunity has certainly helped by providing names and schools of graduates who deserve recognition, and the staff here is immensely grateful for the help. Putting together the grad issue is a Herculean undertaking that we simply cannot do without outside input.

This year’s special is slated for publication on Sept. 21. We plan to focus on the next big steps for graduates, whether that means beginning college, continuing eduction, starting a career, or what have you.

We are inviting readers, parents and everyone in the community to submit names of graduates to be included. Along with the names of graduates, please include their school and degree, if applicable, and what the immediate future holds for them.

Better yet, if you have access to the printed lists from any schools in the area, we would love see them, and try our best to pull the names of Nikkei students. One easy way is to simply photograph commencement programs with your phone, if there aren’t too many pages.

We remain dedicated to the mission of celebrating those who have strived for academic excellence, and any assistance we receive from the community will be greatly appreciated.

We will also be offering our traditional congratulatory personal display ads. Information on purchasing those special spaces has begun to appear in the Rafu daily. Deadline for submissions is Aug. 31.

Call (213) 629-2231 or email [email protected] for more information. Including a phone number will be helpful to answer any questions that might arise.

Thanks in advance, and we extend hearty congratulations to every student in the Class of 2024.

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