F. Robert Naka encountered a big obstacle during his early years of engineering education. He was one of approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans who was forcibly removed from his home and relocated to an internment camp in the U.S. during World War II. At the time, he was a young pre-engineering major at UCLA.
Through the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council, he was allowed to enroll at the University of Missouri and finished his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, just as the war was ending. He went on to earn an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, where he met his wife who was also working on a master’s degree. Later he earned a doctorate in electron optics from Harvard.
“My parents led me to believe that hard work and perseverance yields success in life—a cultural message that was ingrained in me,” Naka said.
That message rang true for him. Armed with three degrees, Naka enjoyed a long and successful career in the electrical engineering industry. In 2004, the Nakas founded the Robert and Patricia (Neilon) Naka Electrical and Computer Engineering Fellowship to help other students pursue their dreams.
Naka advises students not to delay their education. “Study intensely while you have no other obligations,” he recommends. “One of the reasons I provide support is so students can focus on their education and complete it in less time. The other reason—the academic world helped me through some tough times. It’s right that I put more than my share back into the society that supported me.”
F. Robert Naka encountered a big obstacle during his early years of engineering education. He was one of approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans who was forcibly removed from his home and relocated to an internment camp in the U.S. during World War II. At the time, he was a young pre-engineering major at UCLA.