The Early Life of Yuri Kochiyama  

Yuri Kochiyama was born Mary Yuriko Nakahara on May 19, 1921, in San Pedro, California, to Japanese immigrants. She was raised in a predominantly white neighborhood with her twin brother, Peter, and older brother, Arthur. Throughout her youth she attended a Presbyterian church and taught Sunday school. While Kochiyama attended San Pedro High School, she served as the first female student body officer, wrote for the school newspaper and played on the tennis team. After graduating high school in 1939, she attended Compton College, where she studied English, journalism and art, receiving her degree in 1941.

Yearbook photo from San Pedro High School