Nicholas Turner
Nicholas Turner is studying journalism at Seattle University and writes articles for The North American Post as well as for the Spectator, a campus newspaper. His father was born in Oregon and his mother in Tokyo. His work focuses on international issues derived from his experiences as a mix-raced youth in a globalized world. He hopes to find people who share his experiences.
Updated July 2016
Stories from This Author
Interview with Masako Kanazawa
Nov. 24, 2016 • Nicholas Turner
As a journalist—a journalism student, I should say—I interview people almost every day. My job is to tell stories, about the places I go and the people I meet, and to do so in a respectful but honest way. There are good interviews, where the subject gives me everything I need, and much more, and there are bad interviews, where my questions are ignored or evaded and I walk away with nothing. There are short interviews, where I know what …
That Hapa Kid—Part 3
Aug. 3, 2016 • Nicholas Turner
Rear Part 2 >> Touring my own country, in another country I’ve said in previous articles that I don’t feel I belong in this country, nor do I feel I belong in Japan even though my mother was born there. Certain things remind me of this awkward position, and that I am at once a resident at home and a tourist abroad, using what I know to navigate the new. When my family goes out for sushi in downtown Portland …
That Hapa Kid—Part 2
July 27, 2016 • Nicholas Turner
Read Part 1 >> In June a friend invited me to join her and other members of the Japanese Student Association (JSA) of Seattle University for dinner. I came along and we packed into two cars and made our way down to a Japanese restaurant in the International District. All of the students that came spoke Japanese in varying degrees, which came as a surprise to me because, well, I had no idea my school had so many native speakers …
That Hapa Kid—Part 1
July 20, 2016 • Nicholas Turner
Hapa, in Hawaiian, means “part” or “mixed.” It’s typically used to describe a person of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. I heard the word on the first day of my freshman year in college. That night, I met two girls studying in the hallway outside of my dorm room. They greeted me kindly and invited me to join them. Before I even sat down, one of them asked me if I was a “hapa kid.” I asked her what that …
