By Emily Glory Peters
John Fukunaga and Cheryl Shojinaga (far left and far right) are the newest co-chairs of ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄β Parent Leadership Council, a group dedicated to helping the College thrive.
John Fukunaga and Cheryl Shojinaga are of ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄β Parent Leadership Council (PLC), a group dedicated to helping the College thriveβbut theyβre no strangers to volunteering. Before their youngest daughter, Emma, began her journey at ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄, the couple saw the value of giving back at their eldest daughterβs university. Now, belonging to the PLC has opened a portal to their daughterβs new world.
βThe Parent Leadership Council offers families a way of staying involved with the College independently of your student,β says Shojinaga. βIt lets us stay informed about things on campus that might be of interest to us as parents, but not to Emma. It means we can talk with her about her personal ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ experience while also getting insights about broader campus life through PLC.β
Parent Leadership Council offers guidance and inspiration to the broader ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ community
Both West Coast natives, Fukunaga and Shojinaga grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. Shojinaga, formerly in merchandising management, took on the role of stay-at-home mom while balancing leadership positions with the Girl Scouts and as a founding member of the National Charity League, Manhattan-Hermosa Chapter. Fukunaga, who also recently joined ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄β Board of Trustees, currently serves as deputy general counsel and executive vice president of Sony Picturesβ legal department.
βI think my career path influenced both my daughters to not go into law,β Fukunaga says. βBeing a lawyer was a great career choice for me, but itβs not for everyone. Itβs given me the opportunity to do work I find interesting and to work closely with a lot of interesting people across a variety of professions. Iβve been able to share those experiences with them, which has helped them decide what they might wantβor not wantβto do.β
Regardless of their daughtersβ chosen careers, Fukunaga and Shojinaga agree that families have a unique ability to expose current students to new personal and professional paths. Members of the PLC support ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ not only through generous charitable giving, but also by offering direction, guidance, mentorship, and inspiration to the entire ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ community.
As Parent Leadership Council co-chairs, Fukunaga and Shojinaga hope to inspire others by βwalking the walkβ to support ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ studentsβeither as fellow PLC members or simply by staying involved with the College. For them, that help from other families can come in many ways, such as attending ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ events, hosting welcome events, offering career advice and mentoring to students, or being available to parents of incoming, current, or applying students.
βA simple half-hour conversation over a cup of coffee in the Village can be incredibly helpful,β says Fukunaga. βHearing about your lifeβs journey and what life can be after ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄βwhether itβs about what you do day-to-day, your path and why you chose it, the hard work youβve had to put in and the adversity youβve had to overcomeβis invaluable to students.β No matter your background, he continues, itβs information and advice that may not typically be available to them.
βAll parents have stories students can relate to and benefit from. Sharing them will give you the opportunity to meet with the amazing ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ students, learn about their experiences, and see first-hand why these students are are so special,β he says.
The next opportunity to spark parent engagement will be ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄β Family Weekend on February 19β21, 2022. All parents are invited to attend this virtual event, with members able to immerse themselves in ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄β vibrant culture and get a behind-the-scenes look at College courses, tours, and performances. Members of the Parent Leadership Council will also be invited to a special pre-Family Weekend reception hosted by Interim President Amy Marcus-Newhall.
Adds Shojinaga, βFamily Weekend will be important, and we encourage everyone to join usβitβll be a wonderful thing to be in the same space with other families.β
ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ parents influence College culture for the better. To get involved with the Parent Leadership Council, please click here.