I am a sansei with an unusual surname from the Imperial Valley in the southeastern corner of California. I have always been a history buff so I became the coordinator of a permanent Japanese American exhibition in the Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum. Consequently,the Nikkei history of the Imperial Valley is my area of focus. My grandparents emigrated from Kagoshima Prefecture so I am also interested in the history of Kagoshima and the experiences of Kagoshima immigrants around the world, but particularly in the United States.