This time, I'm introducing Keiko Brown, who works in the Marketing and VIP Service division of MGM and also manages a flower arrangement business.

1. Please tell me about how you came to America and about your current jobs.

I transferred from a Japanese university to an American university and majored in interior design. After that, I took a job in construction, but I had to return suddenly to take care of my parents, so I decided to temporarily leave work and return to my country.

At first, I had planned to take a two-week break, but in the end, I left work in order to give my undivided attention to taking care of my parents. After that, I had to reconsider how I would think about my way of living and my work from here on out, all the things I had been wanting to do - I began to think about challenging myself with new things. I decided I wanted to try a job related to floristry, so I went to school to learn the Ikenobo style of ikebana and floral design. After graduating, I had a concrete idea of how I wanted to work in floristry, but due to my marriage, raising children, and relocating, I still wasn't able to focus on any new activities, and I felt depressed and impatient.

Then at that time, I moved to San Francisco, and since I thought I wanted to connect with other people there, I opened a floristry workshop in the Japanese community. So many people participated, I was able to start holding a regular course twice per month. I got to know many different people and it was so much fun, and at the same time, I realized this work was an extension of my hobby, so the idea sprouted in my brain that I wanted to turn it into a business.

At that time, I decided to move again, to Washington, DC, and I took that as my opportunity to open a business and I started Sakura Design. However, my children were now going to elementary school so I had just gotten a break in taking care of them, and I started feeling more intensely that I wanted to get out of the house. To progress forward, I decided not to stick to just one job, but instead made Sakura Design my side business and used my experience while job hunting, thanks to which I got hired by the horticulture division at MGM Resorts. For a while I was doing well, but then the pandemic started and the demand for florists went down. It became difficult to maintain steady business, so I had no choice but to temporarily close Sakura Design for the time being. And at the same time, MGM Resorts ended up dismissing many employees, myself included.

Once I felt the pandemic had calmed down enough, I started job hunting again, and I was rehired at MGM in the Marketing and VIP Services division. Right now, I perform various support tasks related to the VIP visitors' stays. Through all the various business experiences I've had so far, I've been evaluated for my involvement in the economic world, government relations, and film actors, so I think that's why I've been able to experience different kinds of business careers.

2. Is your current job fun?

At my new position at MGM, I'm making the experiences I've gotten through interior design and floral design work for me in various new forms, and I'm learning a lot and having fun. There are also many guests from Asia, and this year I'm helping with plans and guests for MGM's cherry blossom festival, so it’s made me so happy to be able to speak Japanese at work. MGM's employment rate for minorities and women is very high, so it's a very easy environment to work in.
At the same time, with the unstable state of global affairs, I feel the importance of having back-up work, and I have been thinking I want to reopen and keep open Sakura Design, which really utilizes my talents. When I was giving the workshops in San Francisco, I had the individual responsibility of being a mother raising children, but now, since I'm working, I can connect with American society and go out as a member of that society, which I feel really happy about.

3. Please tell me about your current goals.

I think it's the same for many people who also work, but the balance between work and home life is an eternal issue. America isn't the kind of place where families rely on their neighborhoods, so I want to protect my work and home life balance while still continuing to explore my potential at MGM.

4. Do you have any words for Japanese women here in the U.S. who have yet to find their passion or who are anxious about taking the first step to pursue their passion?

For people who finished their education in Japan and are now working, I think it's common to try to start from zero in America and then feel indecisive, but there's not really any need for that. When you're looking for work, think about things you're interested in right now and the skills and abilities you can offer based on your past experiences, and I think the path to getting a job will open up once you think about how to connect those experiences to your future. Rather than limiting yourself to the job or field you worked in in Japan, I hope you would take a flexible approach to your job search. I never dreamed I would be working at MGM at my current job, but I'm happy all my different experiences lined up and connected like dots to lead me to it.

MGM National Harbor: https://mgmnationalharbor.mgmresorts.com

Sakura Design: http://sakuradesignfloral.com　

★ Interviewer's note

I thought Keiko's way of thinking about experiences lining up and dots connecting is something many people can identify with. All the things you studied in Japan, your work experiences, volunteer activities, lessons, the qualifications you've earned, and also the things you've learned and experienced in America - if you think of those things as your fortes (like dots) and connect them, you'll arrive at a job that suits you. Hub Park is working to help others find that line, so while I listened to Keiko’s story, I found myself nodding a lot. Keiko's experiences so far, interior design and floral design, are to make use of and delight the senses and to make a space someplace better. I think Keiko's strengths will be put to good use at her current job in the VIP division. I'm looking forward to seeing her future activities.