The optimism index
It’s easy to assume Brooke Shibata has never faced a challenge in her life. A six-time dean’s list honoree and vice president of UC Irvine’s United Nations Association chapter, Shibata seems nothing short of charmed — especially after landing an internship with the U.S. Department of Commerce in a notoriously tough job market. But her secret isn’t luck.
It’s hope.
Shibata’s resilience is palpable as she recounts the COVID shutdown in her freshman and sophomore years at Pacific Palisades Charter High School, where she was captain of the basketball team and graduated with honors in 2023. “I felt extremely isolated,” she says. “But I was playing sports when I could. I took singing lessons. My teacher and I would talk about our days, or we’d just play video games. It was a form of therapy.”
Culture club
Making meaningful connections is integral to Shibata’s brand of self-care. At Pali High, she embraced the opportunity to join one of the most diverse campuses in Los Angeles County. “I had a close friend who was Black and Korean,” she says, “another who was Chinese and Italian, and another who was Persian and white. I realized how special that was, knowing that we were all friends, not because of cultural happenstance, but because we really just loved hanging out and connecting.” Shibata especially cherishes her close friendship with a Jewish student who was born in China, and whose parents speak fluent Mandarin — it was an honor to participate in her bat mitzvah and observe Shabbat with her family.
That’s not to say that Shibata doesn’t lean into her own heritage. A freshman-year internship at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI) helped ground Shibata in her history and heritage. “Brooke’s profound appreciation for connectedness and community always stands out to me,” says Stephanie Mayeda, program manager at GVJCI. “Her final project was a thoughtfully made zine that highlighted the intersecting generations who gather at GVJCI and why these touchpoints are so important to our community. It’s reassuring to know that there are people like Brooke who are making a difference and preserving our culture for the next generation.”
Shibata also interned at UCI’s Tomo No Kai Japanese and Japanese American cultural club and has aspirations to participate in Nisei Week Court, a service-focused pageant where winners represent the Japanese American community overseas. In fact, Shibata’s healthy impulse to sublimate sorrow into hope may be an inherited family trait. Of her great-grandfather’s unlawful incarceration during World War II, she says, “My great-grandpa used to play baseball in the camp. We still have his baseball bat — all his teammates signed it.”
Economies of scale
Shibata’s talents don’t end with hope and friendship, however. As a senior at UC Irvine, her practical experience is already so extensive that it’s barely contained in a single-page CV. She served as an External Affairs Branch Member with TedxUCIrvine, has interned with the Office of the President of the Associated Students of UCI, and was selected out of a pool of more than 600 applicants to support her cohort as a School of Social Sciences Peer Academic Advisor.
Her latest position is with the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she helps local businesses prepare for global market entry. With a focus on the sustainability sector, Shibata’s team guides business owners through a host of core activities, including locating potential partners; identifying ideal international markets; assessing market readiness; ensuring protection of intellectual property; and interfacing with various organizations, such as the Port of Long Beach and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
“Some of Brooke’s projects touched on her academic interests,” says Leticia Arias, Senior International Trade Specialist, “like engaging with clients in the energy, envirotech, and intelligent transportation sectors — while other tasks were more behind the scenes.” True to form, Shibata gave every assignment her full attention. “Her positive outlook shone through, whether she was reaching out to chambers of commerce to introduce our work, developing our monthly newsletter, or managing our CMS (Customer Management System). Brooke always saw beyond the daily tasks, making a real contribution to our mission of increasing U.S. exports and supporting our local clients.”
One of those clients is a group of former Disney Imagineers who are in the proof-of-concept phase of a “sleek and beautiful” magnetic monorail system requiring minimal infrastructure. “We connected them with the L.A. Metro and Department of Transportation,” Shibata says, referencing regional transit powerhouses as casually as if she were naming campus clubs.
Connecting the dots
Shibata’s position with the trade administration is a confluence of global affairs, economics, and sustainability — by her design. Her honors-track international studies major is born of her passion for learning about other countries and sharpening her cultural acumen. In her freshman year, she was inspired to expand her pursuits in a class led by Yousuf Al-Bulushi, associate professor of global studies. “I asked him how I could apply international studies in a dynamic way toward making a change in the world.”
With Al-Bulushi’s encouragement, Shibata pursued a double major in international studies and economics. She learned how countries, societies, and cultural groups operate within an economy’s boundaries, and while studying abroad in Geneva, she learned how development economics can improve healthcare, education, and reproductive outcomes in developing African countries.
As for her commitment to sustainability, Shibata fostered an early interest in green agriculture. One of the reasons she sought an interdistrict transfer in the sixth grade was her middle school’s agriculture program and on-campus farm. She joined the Future Farmers of America and attended the organization’s national conference. Shibata’s interest in agriculture — like many aspects of her character — can be traced back to her family. “My grandpa is a big gardener,” she says. “He has so many fruit trees and different flowers and plants. His lawn is perfect.”
Considering Shibata’s impressive leadership qualities and inherent determination, her parents thought she might grow up to be an outspoken figure in the workplace. But at UCI, Shibata took another path. “I used to want to work in politics,” she says, “but I don’t think the spotlight is for me. I would love to be the hard worker who’s doing important things that no one really knows about. I want to be part of the process and stimulate change, but I don’t need to tell everyone I’m doing it.”
Whether at home, school, or on the job, Shibata focuses less on projecting her self-worth than supporting her community, sometimes leading from behind. And as a bass player in her church band, she appreciates the metaphorical value of holding down the rhythm. “In the band, no one wanted to play bass, but I think it’s an awesome instrument. It’s in the background — but it carries the song.”
-Lisa Horiuchi for the UC Irvine School of Social Sciences