Not everyone would move across the world to pursue their career, but that’s exactly what Akari Fujino, MS, CCLS, did. After discovering her love for Child Life in high school, she knew she would have to make a big change to make her dream a reality. Now she calls Texas Children’s home and is making a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.
What makes you happiest about being part of our One Amazing Team?
I like that Texas Children’s appreciates diversity. I grew up in Japan, so I have very different cultural background. People at TCH are open and encouraging!
What is your favorite part about your job?
As a child life specialist, I help patients and families cope with medical experiences. I really enjoy the process of learning patients’ strengths and tailoring my interventions. When children share with me how they have coped with difficulties or what they have learned from medical experiences, it brings me great joy and respect for their resilience.
Give a shout-out to someone at Texas Children’s for making a difference.
I want to give a shoutout to the Child Life team. As a first year, I receive a lot of support from other Child Life staff, and they are always willing to help each other. I am amazed when I learn about their experiences and how they make a difference in each patient and families’ journey in the hospital.
How do you recharge your batteries away from work?
When I am tired, I like spending time at home doing arts and crafts. I like creating complex modular origami. Sometimes, I use about 300 origami papers to make one product! I feel like moving my hands helps me process thoughts and feelings that I cannot necessarily articulate.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
After I found my passion for Child Life in high school, I taught myself English. Japan does not have child life education or certifications yet, so I would have to move. Moving to the United States by myself to pursue this career was very surprising to everyone around me because I was so shy. It is sometimes hard to be far away from my home and family, but I am grateful to have my dream job here.