"People would ask me how I could take a risk like that," he says, "but I was happy that I didn't have to look for a job."

Six years later, that restaurant—called Kamon—is still in business, but Nishihara moved on to a venture that arguably takes the same amount of guts to pursue.

He has served as the communications manager for the Cupertino Union School District since January of this year. It's a job that involves mediating the exchanges between eager groups of parents, students and community members, and in a district that's been criticized for not communicating with them clearly enough.

"He's doing a very fine job. We wanted to see this position take on a more expanded role, and he's done that with making our website more viable," says Dr. William Bragg, the district's superintendent. "He has energy and enthusiasm, and he can relate to people. And he brings a different perspective into the office with his background in legislation."

After trying his hand in the restaurant business for several years, Nishihara, 28, moved back to his hometown of San Jose. He's still involved with Kamon, though more as a silent partner than as an owner/operator. In San Jose, he worked as a field representative for Assemblywomen Rebecca Cohn and Sally Lieber, a position befitting his degree in managerial economics.

"I had originally wanted to go into the private sector," Nishihara says, "but I felt the need to serve."

While in state politics, Nishihara worked in education policy, and had heard about the controversy that erupted in Cupertino surrounding the boundary changes for the fifth middle school. Ironically, he currently heads up the committee assigned to name that school.

But Nishihara's interest in education can also be traced back to his parents—his father is a retired school psychologist, and his mother used to teach in the Oak Grove Elementary School District. Oddly enough, his wife Gina is a math teacher in the Oak Grove district as well. The two married this summer after dating for eight years, and met while mutually pursuing one of Nishihara's outside interests—Taiko drumming.

"I played at Carnegie Hall when I was in college, and we also toured in Japan," he says. The grandson of Japanese immigrants, Nishihara took up the traditional percussion instrument when he was in the third grade, and continued performing with San Jose Taiko until 1998. He still teaches a high school group with the company, and sits on San Jose Taiko's board of directors.

Gina joined the group in 1994, and she and Nishihara started dating two years later. To commemorate the roots of their relationship, their July 31 wedding in Saratoga included a number of nods to Taiko, including a bride-and-groom performance instead of a first dance, and the reconvening of players from the old days. "It was this big reunion," Nishihara says.

The couple now lives in San Jose.

Their wedding was one day after the school board placed its parcel tax measure on the ballot, which was one meeting Nishihara missed, but the first 11 months of his job have otherwise gone well. He took over for the retiring Beverly Armstrong, and has managed to juggle the numerous responsibilities of the position. "There are so many constituency groups in this district, so I just have to make sure everyone's concerns are heard," he says.

His duties have also ramped up over the time of his employment, and he will soon present the three recommendations of his middle school naming committee to the Cupertino Union school board.

Gail Lee, a Garden Gate parent who serves on that naming committee, says that Nishihara has been very responsive both on the committee and with other projects. "He's handling the meetings very well," she says. "He keeps us moving forward and keeps us on track."

Lee will soon host a meeting to set up a PTA for the new middle school, one that district administrators will attend thanks to Nishihara's assistance. "He's been instrumental in helping me get answers," she says. "When I email him, he gets right back to me."

Nishihara says the process to get his job took three interviews and two months, but even though he's now firmly planted in the real world, he says it was worth it. "This is a district of substance, and it's local enough to really see the impact of what you do," he says.

Nishihara invites anyone with questions or concerns in the Cupertino Union community to call him at 408.252.3000, ext. 323.