About AJET
The Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET) is a volunteer organisation affiliated with the JET Program. There are AJET chapters nationwide in Japan aiming to foster working relationships between JET program sponsors and participants as well as promote a community and fellowship among JETs in the same prefecture. AJET helps provide support and resources, organizes community events, and acts as a representative body for JET participants.
National AJET provides a variety of services for JETs at a national level, many of which can be found on its homepage at AJET.net.
How can I be part of AJET?
Each year, JETs have an opportunity to apply and to vote on who will help represent and organize us in AJET. More details will always be sent out as elections approach around golden week.
Meet the Tokushima AJET Team
Below are the 2026-2027 Tokushima AJET members! Feel free to reach out to any of us for questions or advice.
Bear Niehorster-Cook
Volunteer Coordinator & Equipment Officer
Kansas City, USA → Awa
Hello, I’m Bear. I’m a third year JET, and first year AJET. I am loving peaceful life in the Japanese countryside! The slow days offer wonderful opportunities to travel, and spend time learning new skills. From playing games to making music to cooking, I have many hobbies and interests so feel free to send me a chat! And if you need any help at all, feel free to reach out to me on Discord or LINE!
Erik Smith
Southern Sports Officer & Touch Rugby Coordinator
Florida, USA → Minami
Hey y’all I’m Erik, second year ALT from Florida. I have a lot of hobbies and always enjoy trying new things. Some of them include video games, volleyball and bedrotting. Looking forward to being a part of AJET this year and meeting all of the new incoming ALT’s!
Franny Presby
Internal Officer
Los Angeles, California, USA → Mima
Hello, I’m Franny! I’m going into my third year on JET and my second year on AJET. I love being an active part of the community here in Tokushima, and I enjoy connecting people and showing them how to get involved.
My hobbies include traveling, hiking, singing karaoke, eating, and playing table tennis with my students. I studied elementary education and psychology at university. I’ve lived in California and Oregon in the USA, and I’ve also lived in Ireland and Spain while studying abroad. I’ve been to 15 different countries, and I love to chat, so feel free to ask me about anything!
Contact me via LINE if you have any questions!
Frida Ruff
Musical Coordinator & Social Media Manager
Oregon, USA → Naruto
Hi, I’m Frida! I’m a third-year JET from the Oregon Coast. I grew up on the beach, so I adore living in Tokushima and having access to so many beautiful places. I love hiking, camping, and traveling, and my goal is to travel to as many places as I can while in Japan.
In my free time, you can probably find me reading, writing, curating Spotify playlists, cooking, practicing my shower karaoke, or playing video games.
Contact me via email if you have any questions!
Grace O'Neill
Recreational Officer
Massachusetts, USA → Komatsushima
Hi, I’m Grace! I’m from Massachusetts, and I’ll be starting my third year as an ALT in August. Since I first came to Tokushima I’ve been amazed by its beautiful nature, unique atmosphere, and many hidden gems. This led me to join the Recreational Committee in my first year to plan day trips, and now I’m leading Rec Committee as an AJET member. I’m always looking for interesting events to plan for Tokushima JETs, so if you have an idea you want to collab on please feel free to reach out!
Some things I love are road trips and going on random side quests, cooking, onsen, festivals, anime/manga, mahjong, movies, and searching for craft beer.
Kaeyla Malloy
Sports Officer & Treasurer
Wellington, NZ → Tokushima City
Hello! My name is Kaeyla and I will be a 2nd year JET this August! So far living in Japan has been a rollercoaster. I have enjoyed the great parts like exploring the beautiful scenery and making new friends, to the not so great parts like finding a cockroach under my bed and navigating bank transfers. I’m super into sports of all kinds, but volleyball holds a special place in my heart, which is why I’m so excited to be running Sudachi Sports Volleyball this year!
In my free time I am often playing sports, watching YouTube, struggling to learn Japanese and trying new restaurants!
Contact me via LINE if you have any questions!
Iona Gallagher
Travel Officer & Transport Coordinator
Yorkshire, UK→ Tokushima City
Hey, I’m Iona! I’m a first year JET from Yorkshire in the UK. I’ve loved living in Tokushima so far, from having fun with my students all day, being surrounded by beautiful nature, and being (relatively) connected to lots of different places in Western Japan.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy going to the gym, bouldering (badly), and watching movies. I also love travelling and planning trips, so please join me on our AJET trips this year :))
Contact me on Line to get in touch!
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