Staff Spotlight: Kurt Ikeda

Kurt Ikeda in front of the guard tower at Minidoka National Historic Site

NPS Photo

How did you find yourself at NPS?

I had never imagined that I’d become a park ranger. I spent the first half of my professional career as a high school teacher and community organizer. However, when I started looking for a career change, I was connected with my now mentor, Hanako Wakatsuki, who brought me into the National Park Service (NPS). In 2018, I signed up as a Northwest Youth Corps intern. From my internship I was able to find a job in the museum field until I returned to the NPS again in 2020 as an Education Specialist.

Kurt with Hanako Wakatsuki, Superintendent of Hono’uli’uli National Historic Site

NPS Photo

What do you do for the NPS?

I currently serve as the Director of Interpretation and Education at Minidoka National Historic Site (Jerome, ID). I honor this work as a descendant of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans and a child of immigrants.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I love meeting all of the families who visit our park. From local community members to Japanese American families, camp survivors, and descendants, Minidoka holds an important place in the hearts of many visitors. Most recently I had the chance to bring my extended family to the park after our wedding. It was a very special moment to show our family why my wife and I moved from both the East and West Coasts to make a life here in Idaho. Being able to talk about our community’s history alongside my partner was a wonderful experience.

Kurt as a child with his grandparents at Yosemite National Park

Courtesy of Kurt Ikeda

What does it mean to you to represent your community?

I do this work for my family and community. My grandfather loved his national parks. Since I was very young he tried to instill in me a love of our public lands. But for this Southern California kid, I never really found MY park. It wasn’t until he started sharing the trauma of his experiences as a child incarceree during WWII that I learned about places like Manzanar National Historic Site, Tule Lake National Monument, and Minidoka National Historic Site. I wish that he were alive today to see me in my green and gray uniform and flat hat. I never became a big naturalist, but through my community, history, and culture – I’ve found my parks.

What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?

It’s never too late to find your career path. You can be an intern in your late 20s. At the intersections of your passions, your community, and your dreams (and timing) will be your NPS career.

What are your hobbies?

Believe it or not, I used to be a competition yo-yoer. In my free time I play dungeons and dragons and read Marvel comicbooks. I would like to become an amateur magician one day. So yeah, all the things that were uncool in High School, I love to do today.