Alumna Lynette Teruya writes on Pioneering Issei Woman

Asian Studies alumna Lynette Teruya (MA 2014) writes about Okinawan-American pioneer Chiyeko Takushi in the Hawaii Herald, Hawaii’s Japanese-American Journal:

When 7-year-old Ushi Tamagusuku left Okinawa in 1910, who could have known that she would someday become the highly successful “First Lady of Insurance” in Hawai‘i. This young girl would eventually become the first female insurance agent at Occidental Underwriters of Hawaii, Chiyeko Takushi.

Lynette teruya in the Hawaii herald

With careful research into Chiyeko Takushi’s life story, Teruya’s article highlights the struggles issei women faced in early twentieth-century Hawaii, and the lasting legacy of one formidable woman. Read the full article at the Hawaii Herald.

Chiyeko Takushi, Hawai‘i’s first issei female insurance agent. (Photo from “Living Legacy: Outstanding Japanese Women of the 20th Century in Hawai‘i”)

For more information on the Asian Studies MA programs, visit our Graduate Programs page.

For more information on the Okinawan and Japanese communities in Hawaii, visit the websites of the Center for Okinawan Studies and the Center for Japanese Studies.