Akiko Scott

Akiko has been working with college student populations since her time as a Resident Assistant (Jester West/Moore-Hill) while a student herself at the University of Texas at Austin and, most recently, worked with college students as an Advising Specialist at the Austin Community College District. She looks forward to continue working with college students and supporting them as they pursue global education opportunities while a Longhorn.

Akiko’s passion for exploring the world and learning about other cultures began with her own personal experience growing up in a multicultural household. Her mother is from the island of Okinawa and her father is a born and bred Texan, leading to a fascinating upbringing of seemingly clashing cultures! When they were not spending summers in Okinawa, Akiko was sharing the love of Asian food in the suburbs of Houston, Texas through her lovingly crafted bento boxes filled with onigiri, fish sausage, karaage, and umeboshi. Akiko’s family loved hosting family members and exchange students and were privileged to host Rotary Youth Exchange students for months at a time during her high school years which led to her own experience abroad in Taiwan as a short term and long term R.Y.E. student. Akiko fell in love with the friendly people, the Mandarin language, and the food (especially dan bing!) and decided to come back to Texas after her year abroad to study Asian Cultures and Language with a specialization in Mandarin at the University of Texas at Austin.

In her free time, Akiko loves perfecting her gyoza recipe, scouring cookbooks to discover new flavors and trying new recipes, drawing & painting, camping, stargazing on a new moon weekend, watching a Texas thunderstorm, and playing cooperative board games with friends and family. You can often find her enjoying a nice cup of black coffee or oolong tea and talking about food. If you have any recommendations, she is on the hunt to discover the best spots (local or global) for baklava and fish tacos. Hook ‘em!