Study Abroad Sparked Love

On a blue-sky August morning, Flora Chung Takoshima and Akiyuki Takoshima ’05 maneuvered two little girls and a paraphernalia-laden stroller along Campus Walk. Yua, 11 months old, gurgled and grinned in her parents’ arms. Four-year-old Yuki romped on the green grass and took in every sight – especially the Palmieri Plaza fountain. The Takoshimas had traveled from their home in Kariya, Aichi, Japan, to visit friends and see the campus where Flora and Akiyuki met a decade earlier. Back home, Flora is a full-time mom and Aki a software engineer for an automotive company. On campus, the family posed for portraits by Heather Spring Sieck ’96 and J.P. Sieck ’95, who own Sieck Photography in Fredericksburg. The Takoshimas’ friend Steve Mauro ’04, who roomed with Aki a decade ago, shot video. Aki, a native of Sapporo, Japan, earned a degree from the Chitose Institute of Science and Technology but decided to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in the United States. He chose Mary … [Read more...]