Sakura Fuqua

Sakura Fuqua was born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She didn’t have the opportunity to learn much about her birth state living the military lifestyle. For the next 15 years her father’s occupation took her all around Japan and Korea. Living in these countries allowed her to spend time with her Okinawan family on her mother’s side. These experiences along with being multiracial (Okinawan and African American) has shaped her outlook and path in life.

Sakura earned her bachelor’s degree in Tourism Convention Event Management at IUPUI and later changed career paths, earning her master’s in English with a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages) concentration at IUPUI to work with immigrant and expat communities. For the last 10 years she has been teaching English to immigrant and expat communities in Indianapolis and from around the globe. In her career, she has worked with Indianapolis Public Library, LTC Language Solutions, tutored children and adults in her community during the pandemic and conducted graduate research work at IUPUI. In May 2022, she joined the Indianapolis Public Library as the Immigrant Outreach Program Specialist, a job she has set her eyes on for many years.

During her free time, she enjoys spending time in the community she lives—International Marketplace. She enjoys photographing the community, attending events, and exploring the local businesses in the area. Sakura feels that this area of Indianapolis best represents how she grew up on military bases overseas. The International Marketplace is how she would like her children to see and experience the world. It also holds a special place in her husband’s heart, as he is from El Salvador and there is a large Salvadoreño community in the International Marketplace. In addition, she also likes to travel around the US to learn about subcultures in the United States.