Kristina has a 13 month old son, Klayton Shigeru Hines Kozen. Outside of work and spending time with her family, she enjoys hiking, trips to Tahoe, playing in an adult volleyball league, swimming, being outside, and rooting on her Bay Area sports teams.
Kristina is a fourth-generation Japanese American, both her parents grew up in the Japanese American internment camps during World War II (Topaz and Gila River). Kristina grew up with ties to SJ Japantown, having attended Sunday School at Wesley Methodist as a child, attending Suzeme No Gakko, and playing CYS sport (baseball, volleyball, and basketball). At UC Berkeley she was involved in the Nikkei Student Union (where she met Vanessa Hatekyama, Museum Operations Manager).
Having moved back to the Bay Area 5 years ago, navigating the pandemic, being closer to family, and starting a family of her own has helped to renew her passion to preserve and share the Japanese American history and culture, especially for her Japanese American “Gosei” son and the younger generations.