Millions of residents from the D.C. area and visitors alike flock to the Tidal Basin and the monthlong Cherry Blossom Festival.
Many of them will run into pink tie- and blazer-wearing ambassadors ready to help.
They are the National Cherry Blossom Festival goodwill ambassadors, and they are college students and young professionals there to help everyone understand the significance of the cherry blossoms and why they are so celebrated.
“Cherry blossoms have such important symbolic representation of spring, of rebirth, renewal, and in times like these, it’s just great to have the chance to find beauty in something just so simple,” Lucy Knoepflmacher, one of the ambassadors, told WTOP.
The ambassadors attended events such the Cherry Blossom Festival opening ceremony, where they encouraged visitors to write their wishes on paper cherry blossoms to form a large display tree. Ambassadors at the Kite Festival on the Washington Monument grounds assisted professional kite masters from Japan.
They are a major part of the festival’s community outreach, according to Knoepflmacher, “providing information both on the history of D.C. and the connection to the cherry blossoms, as well as Japanese culture.”
Ambassadors work as cultural delegates at other events, representing the Cherry Blossom Festival at things such as tree plantings. They also serve as educational liaisons at D.C.-area schools to teach children about Japanese language and culture and the original 1912 gift that brought the cherry trees to the capital.
Ambassadors are usually college-aged or newly graduated, and they share a passion for Japanese culture and fostering U.S.-Japan relations.
Knoepflmacher has an interesting connection to the island nation. She attended a Japanese elementary school here in the U.S. and learned the language when she was young.
“I left that school, kind of forgot the language, but stayed connected to the culture. Found out about a university program that would take place, half in D.C., half in Kyoto, Japan, and I thought that would be a great opportunity to reconnect to Japanese language and culture,” Knoepflmacher said.
For two years, she studied global international relations at American University and then attended Kyoto’s Ritsumeikan University.
“I figured that this opportunity with the Goodwill Ambassador Program is a perfect way to continue that connection, finding a link between the two cultures,” Knoepflmacher said.
She said her fellow ambassadors have come from many different backgrounds studying at local universities, as well as Japanese institutions.
“It’s been incredible to see how each and every one of us feels connected to the cherry blossoms, to D.C., to Japan … hearing everyone’s stories and having the chance to work together and really just push forward this message about the cherry blossoms,” Knoepflmacher said.
She said anyone under the age of 25 is eligible for the program and it encourages people from all walks of life to apply.
The ambassadors will again be on the scene this Saturday at “Petalpalooza” at the Navy Yard, which will culminate with springtime fireworks.
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