Participants


Before their departure for Japan, participants were asked to write a brief biography about themselves based off of a series of prompts. 



DR. AMY OAKS
LHS Principal

I have been the principal at Littleton High School for two years. I lived in West Berlin from 1987-1988 (before the fall of the Berlin Wall); I have been back to Berlin twice since Reunification in 1989; I have traveled to Austria, the Netherlands, France, Mexico, and Italy. I can't wait to see the landscape, to meet the people, to learn about the culture, and to be in a completely new culture.  I'm terrible with chopsticks; I grew up by the ocean and I believe that seaweed is something to swim around, not to eat.  So I expect to be a little bit challenged at mealtimes. I hope for our students to have a life-changing experience, to come home with a greater understanding of how interconnected we are, to have a more international perspective, and to have fun! I am thrilled to be traveling with such a wonderful group of students and I am awed by the ability of Mr. Emmons to get us all on the road!




MR. DON EMMONS
LHS band director and instrumental music teacher

I am the instrumental music director at Littleton High School, I have been the band director at Littleton High School for 18 years, and I have taken groups from Littleton High School to Ireland, England, Germany, Austria, Hawaii, and throughout the United States. I am very excited to experience Japan's culture, share our culture with them, particularly music, and to learn more about different regions in Japan. I have no primary worries; my only concern is that we are going into areas that are a lot more devastated than what we might think. My curiosities regarding Japan include what types of people we are going to meet and what the food is really like.






CAROLINE BAKER
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, French horn

My name is Caroline Baker, and my hair is graying as a senior at 18 years and I play the French horn! My time in high school has been filled with lots of musical shenanigans and trying (usually failing) to keep up with my math classes. After high school I'm studying music in the hopes of playing for orchestra, opera, ballet or film music. I'm very excited to travel with wonderful people and experience Japan first-hand! I'm absolutely TERRIFIED that I will mess up with the table manners - I'm bound to do something wrong with those chopsticks!


JOSEPH BENKERT
Age: 16
Grade: 11th
Student musician, saxophone and clarinet

My name is Joseph Benkert, and I am a 16 year old junior. I am part of the band, playing saxophone, but will be playing clarinet for this trip. I am a part of the IB program, and have done marching band, concert band, and jazz band every year throughout high school. After high school, I plan on going to college, though I haven't decided where yet. My main career interest is in engineering, although I have not yet decided what kind of engineering specifically. I am just excited to see the culture of another country and see how the people act.




RYAN DINNEEN
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Student musician, trumpet

I am a 17-year-old twelfth grader at Littleton High School. I play the trumpet. At Littleton, I am an IB student and participate in theater, instrumental music, and choir. I plan to study film in college. For Japan, I'm excited about the food and worried about my manners. I'm curious to see how musician there react to our performances.





CAITLIN DURSTON
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Student musician, percussionist

I am in many clubs such as Key Club, which is a community service organization, and Political Committee, which works to make positive changes in both the school and the community. I have taken numerous AP classes, and I have been a percussionist for 9 years. I am also a competitive springboard diver. I have traveled abroad before, mostly in Europe, and my father is from England. After high school I will attend a four year public university and study architectural or civil engineering. I hope to continue in band and diving, as well as continue to stay active in my community. I am very excited to go to Japan, but I am worried that I might mess up with the social behavior part of the Japanese culture. I look forward to trying new food and meeting new people, as well as becoming closer with the people going on this adventure with me!



ALYSSA EMMONS
Age: 17
Grade: 11th
Student musician, trumpet


I am involved in the AP program; I am in the LHS marching band; I was an LHS cheerleader for 3 years; I am currently in the LHS Pit Orchestra for the musical for the second year in a row. I have gone overseas before in 2008 traveling to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I did track and field my freshman year, and I will soon be doing tennis this upcoming spring and I was a part of the Continental League Honor Band this year. My plan for after high school is to become a children's nurse, be part of a college marching band, and travel some summers abroad for mission trips with my church. What I am most worried about going to Japan is paying for items, fitting all my shopping items into my suitcase for the flight home, and trying to communicate and talk to other Japanese students.  What I am most excited about is traveling with all my really good friends, learning about the Japanese culture, going to a foreign country, eating with chopsticks, and experiencing what the daily lifestyle is when living in a different part of the world.  What I am curious about Japan is how they commute from their house to work, since the population is very large and how kids learn manners involving eating properly and wearing slippers on a daily basis.


JOE ENCINIAS
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, percussionist

I’m currently taking AP Calc AB and AP Spanish. I’m not in the IB program, but I’ve taken IB Chemistry and IB Design Technology. I’m involved in the marching band, TSA, NHS, Baseball, pit orchestra in the play, Continental League Band, All-State Symphonic Band, and I’m a partner on the Unified basketball team. My plan after high school is to go to CSU Ft. Collins to study Mechanical Engineering and join the drumline up there. I’m super excited to go overseas because I’ve never done that before! It’s going to be a really great experience and I can’t wait to see life outside the U.S. I’m a little weary on trying the food because I can be a bit picky, but I’ll give it a shot. Apart from school activities I am also a Royal Ranger which is like Boy Scouts but church based. I recently obtained my Gold Medal of Achievement which has taken a long hardworking 8 years. The “GMA” is the equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout award.


LESLIE GROFF
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, flute and piccolo

My name is Leslie Groff. I am currently enrolled in the Band program as a Senior (18 years old) at Littleton High School. I play the Flute and Piccolo. I was in Marching band and concert band for all 4 years of high school, and this year I was in pit orchestra for the musical. During my sophomore year, I participated in the Boston/New York trip the band took. While there we got to be in the Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade and we also go to perform at many different locations. After high school, I plan on going to a community college for the first couple years because it is less expensive and I don't want to live in a dorm. I'm also not sure what I want to study yet, so I figured that going somewhere simple and cheaper would fit me best. I'm excited to learn about the Japanese culture and to see what places are like outside of the United States, since this will be my first time travelling internationally. I'm always up to experience something new and exciting.


THOMAS KENNEDY
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Japanese student

I've been involved in the Japanese club during my sophomore and junior years, I was a member of GSA for two years, I joined the international club this year, and I'm an aspiring AP student. Outside of school, I've been a member of the Denver fencing club for the past three years. I would like to study zoology, art, or social sciences. As far as a career goes, I would really like to do something with animals. Doing field research on how to make or improve the habitats of endangered species (for both land or marine life) definitely sounds like something I would enjoy doing. If animal research doesn't work out, I'll probably go into the machinist industry and end up building car parts or something. I wouldn't mind doing something as tedious as that.  I'm SO incredibly excited for this. I've wanted to go to Japan ever since I was little. My family and I have been laying the ground work for a trip there on a study abroad program for quite some time now. Lucky for me, an opportunity like this drops into my life and suddenly I'm going with a group of FRIENDS to JAPAN for FREE. Honestly its a dream come true. I'm so excited I'm losing sleep.


LEROY LODEWYK
Age: 16
Grade: 11th
Student musician, clarinet

My name is Leroy Lodewyk and I'm in 11th grade at Littleton High School. I am currently 16 years old and play clarinet for the Littleton High School Band. Through out high school I have been very involved in music. I have taken a few honors classes and have been involved of many things such as Ultimate Frisbee and Pit Orchestra. After high school I plan to pursue my interest in music and performing as well as cooking and also game designing. For this trip to Japan I am excited to finally have the chance to go outside of the country. I am curious about the life of Japan and it's people. My biggest worry would be to get lost and end up staying there longer than I plan to be. Something you should know about me is that I'm a black belt in Judo and Karate and I am involved in one other band called the Colorado Honor Band.


SAM MARTENS
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, bass

My name is Samuel McAndrew Martens, almost Samuel Cooligan Martens, better known as Sam. I am 18 years old, and a bassist. My high school experience has been lucky. After exempting from IS 1-4 and taking AP Chemistry sophomore year, I enrolled in IB Junior year. I felt restless, however, and when an offer to go to Argentina for a semester came my way, I accepted. While there, I learned a lot about Argentine culture and myself, and I made friends from all around the world. Some of my other activities include Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA), being the bassist for The Dead End Drivers, volunteering for Littleton Adventist Hospital, participating in the school Pit Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Orchestra, and the regular gigs associated with these groups. I am also an avid mountaineer. My plans after high school include continuing my musical growth and pursuing a medical career. I'm not sure where I'm going to go to college yet, but I know I want to travel the world. As to my primary reactions, I am excited. I'm not worried as much on the personal aspect as much as what I need to learn about Japanese culture before the trip. I want to respect this respect-oriented culture, and the best way to respect it is to learn.





PHILIP MATHYS

Age: 18

Grade: 12th
Student musician, percussionist

I am an 18-year-old senior at LHS. I am an avid, loud, and proud percussionist. I am a four-time state qualifier for swimming, and I'm heavily involved with sports at school. I plan to study criminal justice or athletic training in college. This is my seventh time to Asia, and I am extremely excited for a fantastic trip. I'm curious and excited to meeting new people, and I'm looking forward to eating sushi.




CATHERINE PATTON
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, violinist 

I am in the IB program at LHS and have been involved in many things through our music department. I have been in Orchestra all four years and have also been in Pit Orchestra for the musical every year. I play in groups outside of school as well and toured with my performance group to Switzerland during the summer of 2010. While we were there we played with students from both Switzerland and Belgium. I have been to 30 of the 51 states in the US, if you count Washington DC (Yes, I just counted for fun), and also recently visited Vancouver, Canada last spring break. I have been riding and training horses for the last 6 years and going to shows the last couple of summers. After high school I’m planning on going to college to study either bioengineering or chemical engineering at one of the seven colleges that I currently cannot decide between. Any pro-con list additions or input would be gratefully received. Overall I am more ridiculously and indescribably excited for this trip than either of those adverbs ending in "–ly" can possibly express. I plan to fall in love with their food and buy many pairs of chopsticks while I am there. 


GRACIE PETTY
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Student musician, saxophonist

Hello all! I am 17 years old, and I am a senior in the band program. I have been playing the saxophone for 8 years now. I was drum major this past year in the marching band which I have been a part of for all of my high school career. I play both the tenor and alto saxophone. I have also participated in the pit orchestra for all 4 years of high school. Music is the center of my life with everything else circling around it. I am in AP classes as well as one IB class. Outside of school I also participate in the bell choir at my church and volunteer at the Denver Cotillion Academy. After high school I am planning on attending the Colorado School of Mines to which I have already been accepted. Thankfully I have been able to travel quite a lot in my life so far; I have been to Mexico, France, Spain, Italy, San Marino, Israel, the Dominican Republic, China and now Japan! I have also been selected for the first ever mission trip where adopted girls from China will volunteer in orphanages in China and help young kids who have yet to be adopted. I love traveling and I hope to see as much of the world as possible in my lifetime.


HANNAH POE
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student Reporter

Running the blog will be a new and welcomed challenge for me, and I'm excited to be able to experience this unique opportunity on a level that will be radically different from that of the other participants: not only will I experience the program first-hand, but I get to internalize and share it for virtually anyone to read and relate to as well. I've been relatively involved in the school community over the past four years when I'm not vacuumed into "the IB bubble." The main activities at school would be my participation on the Speech and Debate team, being the News Editor for the student newspaper The Lions' Roar, and my constant coffee intake.  Outside of school, I've been incredibly involved with the BoldLeaders Organization. In 2011 I participated on their "Colorado to Kenya" program, which gave me the incredible opportunity to travel to Kenya for a month to enhance my leadership and global awareness skills, as well as better define who I am as a person. I have remained involved with them since the conclusion of the program by assisting with successive programs for Coloradan students to travel to Kenya and Uganda, as well as hosting a student from South Africa last April. I'm very excited to see what Japan holds for the group!


KURT SCHREIBER
Age: 18
Grade: 12th
Student musician, tenor saxophone

Hello, I am Kurt Schreiber, and I am an 18 year old senior, and I play the tenor saxophone with the band.  I have been an AP student here at LHS, and over the years I have taken part in Track, Technology Student Association, Key Club, Student Council, Political Committee, Marching Band, and Jazz Band.  I currently hold the position of Student Body President in student council.  My sophomore year I travelled to Boston and New York with the band.  I have been admitted to the University of Colorado Boulder and I plan on studying International Affairs and Political Science.  I am excited to travel to Japan to learn about the history and culture.  I am also very interested to see how the Japanese live their daily lives opposed to how we do in America.   One of the events I’m most excited for is eating the food and drinking their tea - I enjoy new tastes and I love tea!  The only worry I have for this trip is the possibility of miscommunication with people who can’t speak English very well.  I can’t wait to go, and I’m sure this trip will give me a lot of new perspectives.


TOM SEHON
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Student musician, alto saxophone 

Throughout high school, I have been an AP student who has participated in Speech and Debate for the past 4 years and is currently a captain. I have also been an active member of the band program (marching band, concert band, jazz band, the pit for the musical). Two years ago I went on a trip with the band of an entirely different recreational nature to Boston and New York. After high school I plan on going to college in state (either CSU, UNC or DU) to study some combination of sociology, criminology and psychology depending on the school. With this I hope to have a career in either criminal profiling for severe crimes like rape or murder or work to increase the success of our criminal justice system by focusing more on restorative justice to reduce the rate of re-offending after persecution. For this trip I am excited to see Japanese culture and see the affected areas recovering. On the other hand I am worried I may be overwhelmed to see that level of destruction first hand. I also have a slight fear that I will lose my passport and be stuck in Japan. 


EVAN SHIGAYA
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Japanese student 
Student musician, violin

My name is Evan Shigaya. I am a senior this year, and I am 17 years old. I am in the Japanese program at school, and I play the violin in the school orchestra. I have been doing orchestra and Japanese all four years of high school, and I am currently in the IB program and am taking a few AP classes. I traveled to Boston and New York with the music program a few years ago, but I have never traveled overseas before. I will probably be going to Colorado School of Mines after high school, and I want to study some type of engineering while I am there. I am a Japanese American, so I'm very excited to experience the Japanese culture on this trip and understand my own heritage better.


JANA STARKS
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Japanese student

Hi, my name is Jana Starks, and I am a 17 year old senior at Littleton High School. I have been studying in Littleton's Japanese program for the past 4 years. I have also taken various AP classes. After high school, I plan to go to college, maybe to study chemical engineering, but I am not sure where I plan to attend college. I am excited to visit Japan because many years ago, I went with my family to visit some of my relatives, and I have always wanted to go back. I am excited to try to use some of the Japanese I have been learning, but I am also nervous about going to a country where English is not the native language. 


AUSTIN SONJU
Age: 17
Grade: 11th
Japanese student

My name is Austin Sonju, I’m 17 and I’m a junior. I am going on this excursion because I am a Japanese student. I am half Japanese and have been speaking Japanese since I was little when my mom began teaching me. I’m currently enrolled in the IB program, and I have lived overseas most of my life. I have lived in Seoul, Hong Kong, and I have lived in Tokyo, Japan. I’m in NHS, and I also play football and will be playing lacrosse in the spring. After high school I’m hoping to play college football and to study some sort of engineering. I am very excited about this opportunity because I have lived in Japan, but I left before the earthquake and am eager to help out in any way I can. I’m not worried but I am curious to see the extent of the damage in person. I am also excited to use and improve my Japanese because I only use it in class or with my mother. I am also excited to work with others going on this excursion and meeting/helping all the people we meet.


DYLAN TIMOTHY
Age: 16
Grade: 11th
Student musician, trumpet

I am 16 and am a junior.  I am a student musician who is playing trumpet on this trip.  I am taking AP classes and play ultimate for the school.  My plans for after high school are to go to college and study automotive engineering. My primary excitement about this trip is being able to see Japan's culture and how it differs from ours.  My biggest worry is the language barrier.  My major curiosity is to see just how much the tsunami affected these areas.



MALLORY WERTH
Age: 16
Grade: 11th
Student musician, flute

My name is Mallory Werth. I am 16 years old and am a junior. I am part of the instrumental group going on the Japan 2013 trip. I play the flute. Outside of band I am involved in the girls' swim team, and on the Varsity cheer team. I am on the LHS drum line as well. I have never traveled outside of the country but have hosted Japanese students twice. I'm not 100 percent sure of what I want to do after high school but am leaning towards counseling or becoming a teacher and eventually becoming a Pastor. I am very thankful for the opportunity to go on such an amazing and unique trip and am looking forward to learning and experiencing the Japanese culture and ways of life.




JESSE VAN DER VORST
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
Student musician, baritone saxophone

Let's see now, activities that I do. Well, I'm in the IB program and I'm a Thespian. I'm also in NHS, so that's a thing. I basically have my life consumed by my school work and any free time is usually spent on the Internet or playing video games. As far as travelling, my family does vacations around the U.S. and Canada every summer. I have family up in Canada, so those trips are always fun. I was also born in Costa Rica and lived in the Dominican Republic for my first five years or so. I was there because my parents were Christian missionaries, but I was very young so I can't remember much of it. I'm super excited to go on this trip since I have always admired Japanese culture from afar. I think I'm most excited to see Tokyo, or perhaps eating real Japanese food. Oh, and if you see me in any pictures, I'm the tall one with floofy, curly hair.


KELSEY VANDENBERG
Age: 17
Grade: 11th
Student musician, flute and baritone saxophone

Hi, I'm Kelsey Vandenberg. I am 17 and a junior at Littleton High School. I play the flute in concert band but will be playing baritone on the trip. In school, I'm not really on the AP or IB course, but I am taking AP Chemistry and a few honors classes. Besides playing flute for concert band, I enjoy playing baritone for marching band. I also participate in some clubs like TSA (Technology Student Association), and I just recently joined the International Club. Out of school, I attend Chinese School on Saturdays, learning the language and culture. After high school I plan to go to college in Colorado or possibly Wyoming. I hope to become an engineer and the top college on my list I want to go to is Colorado School of Mines. I am really excited about going on this upcoming trip to Japan in March. I am excited to see another culture and learn more about it, especially when we get to go to one of the schools and see how different it is than what we are used to. I am somewhat nervous about going to another country because Japan is so much different from the U.S. I have been to China before, so I do know what it is like to go to a country where you stand out from everyone else because your a foreigner. I am also anxious to see what Japan looks like after the tsunami hit there. I hope we can help out with whatever they need us to do.