Emma Saker Emma Saker, 13, of Millstone Township is really going places at a relatively young age. She will be traveling to Japan from July 12-25.
Emma, who is a pupil at the Millstone Township Middle School, will participate in the People to People Student Ambassador Program which was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower started the program to promote leadership, citizenship and a willingness to go out and share with other cultures how special and peaceful young Americans can be, according to Emma.
“My goal is to show the Japanese that young people from the United States can go and promote peace and can work together to solve issues,” Emma said.
The young woman will depart from Newark Liberty International Airport with Christine Shatynski, an adult leader in the program, and about a dozen students from Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The New Jersey representatives will land in Tokyo and meet up with delegates from Florida and Connecticut. There are a total of 37 students in the delegation.
The lengthy itinerary is long and “very exciting,” with ambitious goals, Emma said.
The Millstone Township resident has had prior experience as a student ambassador. In fact, Emma will be traveling to Japan with three other alumni ambassadors who were on a previous tour with her to Canada during the summer of 2013.
Emma has a vision of how she hopes her involvement will have an impact. “I will have an opportunity to reach out to the world and learn about new cultures, travel to new places, try new foods and customs, and form new friendships,” Emma said.
Her goals are rather broad and range from climbing Mount Fuji as one activity, to gaining a “real” experience of Japanese culture by spending time with people in the communities she visits. She expects to learn about Japanese lifestyles and traditions.
Highlights of the itinerary include spending a day in Hiroshima and making a vow of peace, and traveling to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.
“I am looking forward to a traditional tea ceremony and practicing all the Japanese I have learned and to be able to communicate clearly during my stay,” Emma said.
Emma enjoys traveling and trying new things. Her hobbies include playing basketball, the clarinet and hand bells. She is active in a youth group at the Colts Neck Reformed Church and went to Michigan on a mission in February.
Someone special in her life who inspired her to go on a peace mission is her father, Tom Saker.
“My dad is one of the most giving people I know,” Emma said. “He has encouraged me to give back in big and small ways. He always reminds me that character is defined by the way you treat others. I think that is so true and that is what I want to share with others on this trip.”
Emma said her dad and her mother, Kristen, understand and support how important it is for her to travel on the mission. Even her younger brother Jack is excited for her.
The Sakers have lived in Millstone for six years.
“I feel blessed for this opportunity to learn about another culture and meet new people. I am happy to have the support of my parents and my brother. I have learned from my parents that it is important to reach out to people and be grateful for your blessings,” Emma said.