Selected as an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader, A.J. Koikoi ’16 reflects on an unexpected journey shaped by curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to helping others.

 

When AJ Koikoi ’16 arrived at Franklin & Marshall in fall 2012, he never imagined his education would lead him halfway around the world, much less to a career advancing international development, education, and global citizenship.

A decade later, Koikoi has been selected for the prestigious Obama Foundation Leaders Asia-Pacific program, an eight-month leadership experience that helps emerging leaders develop the skills and values to advance inclusive, lasting change in their communities and around the world.

For Koikoi, the journey began with an unexpected invitation. Growing up in Baltimore, the son of Liberian immigrants attended St. Paul’s School for Boys, where a visit from then-F&M President Daniel Porterfield encouraged him to explore a college that hadn't been on his radar.

“During my first visit, I remember seeing the arch on campus with F&M’s motto, Lux et Lex [light and law],” Koikoi says from his home in Hiroshima. “It reminded me of St. Paul’s motto, Veritas et Virtus [truth and virtue]. Those are values I try to live by. I always try to be the best person I can be.”

At F&M, Koikoi combined his interests in psychology, culture, and Japanese through a special studies major in culture and cognition. He also played football, an experience that would eventually help shape his international work.

He received a Princeton in Asia (PIA) fellowship to teach in Japan following graduation. It might not have happened without encouragement from Professor Monica Cable, then-director of postgraduate fellowships at the College, who saw leadership ability in Koikoi.

“Professor Cable always kept pushing me. I don’t know what she saw in me,” Koikoi says with a laugh. “I applied to three programs — Fulbright, Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, and Princeton in Asia — and chose PIA because it gave me more freedom. It was definitely a turning point. I’m now on its board of trustees.”

"When I first met A.J., I was struck by his quiet strength, thoughtfulness, and genuine commitment to doing what was right for his community," Cable says. "I knew then that he would represent Franklin & Marshall and the best of American leadership abroad with integrity, humility, and a deep respect for others. From building community through sports in Japan to his work in international development, A.J. has consistently demonstrated that true leadership is not about personal achievement, but about creating opportunities and making life better for others."

Koikoi initially taught English through music and jazz. He later pursued sports development initiatives across Asia, where encounters with displaced populations inspired a deeper interest in peacebuilding, education, and economic opportunity. 

He eventually earned a master's degree from Hiroshima University, where he also coached American football, helping his team achieve its first national playoff berth.

During the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Koikoi co-organized a peace march in Hiroshima. There, he met a woman who later interviewed him for an internship with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

That encounter helped launch a career in international development.

At UNITAR, Koikoi led more than 20 programs reaching over 10,000 participants in 23 countries. He also helped develop the organization's 2026–2029 Youth Strategy, advancing youth inclusion across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Today, Koikoi is senior program director for global education strategy at Eukarya Inc., where he develops international partnerships and educational programs with United Nations agencies and national governments across five countries.

His selection for the Obama Foundation program represents another milestone in an unexpected journey shaped by curiosity, mentorship and a commitment to helping others.

“I never imagined living this life,” Koikoi said.

And while navigating an uncertain world can be intimidating, he believes leadership means facing those uncertainties together — and encouraging others to become leaders. He has generously mentored other F&M graduates pursuing opportunities in Japan through Princeton in Asia, most recently Chilamo Taylor ’24.

“I don’t know where our world is going in the next five to 10 years. But I do know that being scared alone doesn’t mean as much as being scared together. I guess that’s what hope is.”