The Department of Asian Studies is delighted to invite you to our annual Careers Night! Navigating life after graduation can be hard, so each year we bring in alumni with diverse experiences – at home and in Asia – to inform and inspire current students. This event will feature a panel, round robin networking session, raffle prizes, and a delicious free dinner. Careers Night is the perfect opportunity to make connections, meet fellow Asian Studies students, and feel more confident in taking the next steps on your career path.
Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
6:00 PM
Jack Poole Hall, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre
Free – Online registration required via the form below.
This event is co-organized by the Department of Asian Studies and the Faculty of Arts.
Event Program
6:15 pm – Panel: Early Career Success (and Challenges) with a Degree in Asian Studies
Our panelists comprise a diverse group of Asian Studies alumni who have had successful careers in the Canada-Asia interface.
Moderator: Elliott Cheung, Asian Studies Honours, 4th year
Panelist: Nathan (Kuang-Chi) Hwang, BA ’12 – Business Development Coordinator at Sojitz Canada Corporation
Panelist: Tinnie Shackle, BA ’99 – Digital and Social Media Story Telling Strategist
Panelist: Zining Wang, BA’18 – Project Coordinator at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
7:15 – Networking Round Tables: Ask Me Anything
Students will break into groups and rotate among the alumni. Ask our alumni how they got their first jobs after graduating and how they have navigated through the “real world”.
Kayla Black, BA ‘ 14 – Program Coordinator at First Steps Canada
I returned from studying in Korea in 2014 to graduate from UBC. I initially worked as an English teacher in Vancouver before joining First Steps Health Society, a local charity that works to prevent child malnutrition in North Korea. I feel very fortunate to be able to use my Korean-language skills while living and working in beautiful Vancouver. I continue to enjoy developing my Korean both at work and through private studies– North Korean is its own adventure as well!
Lyndsay Bocchinfuso, BA ’16 – Student Programs Coordinator – UBC Department of Asian Studies
After completing her first degree in criminology, Lyndsay taught English in Japan for five years. She taught elementary and junior high school students while honing her own skills in Japanese. Her interest in studying Japanese language and culture led her to enroll at UBC for a degree in Asian Studies, which she received in 2016. During this time, Lyndsay entered the Work Learn program in the department and eventually was hired full time to the administrative staff. She now hires and supervises current Work Learn students. Lyndsay is a great alumna to explore opportunities within the department or on campus, but also can speak to travelling abroad and teaching.
Ellie Cho, BA ’16 – CG Artist
Ellie Cho graduated from UBC with honours in Asian Languages and Cultures (Mandarin) and minor in English (literature). She found her passion in learning the language in Taiwan through scholarships and went back again through Go Global. During her time at UBC, she also studied and worked under Dr. Ross King, as well as studying translation in Korean. After graduating, she found a position in a credit union, but she left in order to pursue a more creative career. After further schooling, Ellie is now in the visual effects industry as a CG artist and has worked on games and films in companies like Electronic Arts and MPC.
Cala Dyck, BA ’99 – Summer Programs Registrar at St. George’s School
Cala Dyck graduated in 1999 and is currently employed year-round at St. George’s School in Vancouver as Summer Programs Registrar, with responsibilities ranging from managing school groups and scheduling, overseeing English language learning curriculum, looking after ELL hiring, website updating, and accounting. She remembers her days as a student fondly since they laid the foundation for true fluency in the Mandarin language in later years and gave her the qualifications she needed to transition from working in North America to other countries abroad. Her degree led to the freedom to work in the countries of her choice at fair remuneration. After graduating with a major in Chinese (language), she spent two years in Taiwan teaching English and perfecting her Chinese, subsequently moving to Italy where she taught Mandarin and also used the language in a hydraulics company with dealings with China. She spent a total of 10 years in Italy and now, with a family, has come full circle and is back in Vancouver where she continues to use Mandarin regularly both at work and in the community. She hopes to pass on her passion for Chinese by remaining active in parent advocacy for the Early Mandarin Bilingual Program in which her son is currently enrolled at John Norquay Elementary.
Chris Heine, BA ’11 – Manager – Investor Services, International Trade Division, BC Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology
With his interest in East Asia relations and Economics while at UBC, Chris set his career sights on a path in the public service assisting local companies to do business in Asia. His part-time job while a student at UBC evolved into a unique entry point into the BC Public Service supporting BC companies export their goods and services to international markets and helping overseas companies recognize BC as a preferred place to invest and do business. As Manager for Investor Services he supports international companies from Asia and beyond with tailored services, bringing together various levels of government and industry stakeholders, to help facilitate informed, positive business experiences and advance investment decisions which benefit of BC’s key sectors, regions and communities.
Nathan (Kuang-Chi) Hwang, BA ’12 – Business Development Coordinator at Sojitz Canada Corporation
Nathan was born in Taiwan but grew up in Japan (Tokyo), US (San Diego) and Canada (Coquitlam). Nathan is a tri-lingual speaker in English, Japanese and Mandarin. He also went on an exchange program (Go Global) to Osaka University in 2010-2011. Upon graduating in 2012, he joined Sojitz Canada Corporation which is a Japanese Trading Company, as a Sales Assistant in commodity export and now works as a Business Development Coordinator in the same company. Prior to graduating, his work experience included being a Program Assistant at the Centre for Japanese Research at UBC, a Camera Assistant with NHK during the 2010 Winter Olympics, and as a freelance translator.
Tarni Kaur BA ’16 – Education Faculty Student at UBC
Tarni graduated with BA Psychology Major and Asian Studies Minor in 2016. She has experience as a therapist for students with behavioural needs and working as an ABA Support worker for the Surrey Schools Districts. Tarni can speak to her experiences connecting with families from South Asian backgrounds in her career field.
Azalea Lee, BA ’16 – Graduate Student in Asian Studies MA Program
Azalea is a 3rd year Korean Studies MA student studying under Dr. King and Dr. Fulton. She graduated from UBC in 2016 with a double major in Psychology and Asian Language and Culture specializing in Korean. Her research currently revolves around the intersection of language, ideology, and gender and how it manifests in premodern Korean fiction. Throughout her BA and MA, Azalea has taken advantage of a number of programs UBC has to offer including the Exchange Program, the Arts Internship program, and an RAship with the Department of Asian Studies.
Richard N. Liu, BA ’93 – Board of Director at the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre – Museum of Migration
Richard N. Liu explored China as a student attending Peking University that led to a rich 20-plus year career at the Canadian Embassy, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce, and Western Academy of Beijing, in areas of diplomacy, public relations, major events organization and education. As a leader in the development of a wide variety of volunteer projects in China, Richard started the influential “Canadians in China” network; founded the rapidly growing Canadian Alumni Network (CAN) that brings together thousands of alumni currently in China who attended Canada’s post-secondary institutions; and was one of the original founding committee members to start the very first Terry Fox Run for Beijing in 1999. Since returning to Canada in 2014, Richard now sits on various boards; and advises companies and organizations on a variety of sectors pertaining to Asia.
Jimmy Mitchell, MA ’95 (Chinese History), Principal, Near West Consulting Services
Jimmy Mitchell is a 30-year Asia veteran with a focus on program management, media & communications, political and economic research, and the promotion of Canada – China political and business interests in both the public & private sectors. Jimmy began his Asian career as a teacher in China in the 1980s, and then as a journalist/broadcaster, news editor and voice-over professional in Taiwan. From 2000 – 2010, he took on a variety of roles as a Canadian diplomat with stints in Taipei, Ottawa and Shanghai. In 2011 Jimmy returned to Vancouver and the private sector, serving as Vice President of AdvantageBC until 2018. He now runs his own business consulting firm, focusing on helping Chinese businesses to succeed in the Vancouver marketplace.
Melody Pan, BA ’14 – Technical Coordinator at Waterproof Studios & Freelance Translator
Melody entered UBC in hopes of studying Japanese for her very first time and graduated with a ASLC (Japan) degree. Since then, she has applied her Japanese skills to work for a variety of companies in various different fields, including Bandai Namco (video Games), Waterproof Studios (CG Studio), and Yen Press (Manga Publisher). She currently works full time as a Technical Coordinator at Waterproof Studios. Although she entered the company as a Translator, she eventually became a Production Coordinator, and then transitioned into her current position, where she is pursuing her interest in IT. She also continues to keep her Japanese skills fresh by translating manga and games on a freelance basis. Melody credits her success in the real world to her cross-cultural communication skills gained via her year-long exchange to Japan (Go Global), as well as involvement on campus during her academic career at UBC.
Christine Park, BA ’11 – Freelance Producer
While studying Asian Studies and International Relations, Christine worked as a Border Services Officer for CBSA and as a Research Analyst at the Ministry of Health. She went on exchange to Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea and knew she wanted to live abroad again. Upon graduating, she worked at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, a think tank on Canada-Asia policy. She then moved to London, UK where she worked at the European Commission and then made a career transition into TV. There she held positions at National Geographic channel and production companies before moving back to Vancouver in December 2017. She now develops factual, documentary, and lifestyle television and hopes to tell more diverse stories.
Steve Rai, BA ’92 – Deputy Chief Constable-Vancouver Police Department
Deputy Chief Constable Steve Rai has been a member of the Vancouver Police Department since 1990. He is now the Vancouver Police Department’s senior Deputy Chief overseeing the Support Services Division of his organization. In his 29 years of service, Deputy Chief Rai has completed a variety of assignments including, hostage negotiator, public order commander, district commander and many others. Because of the many different roles available in law enforcement, Deputy Chief Rai always likes to share that, within policing, he’s had a new career every three years.
Tinnie Shackle, BA ’99 – Digital and Social Media Story Telling Strategist
After graduating from UBC, Tinnie Shackle worked for CBC Vancouver and hosted a show called Lotusland. She then moved to Hong Kong worked for CNN as a presenter and producer for CNN’s ebizAsia, RTHK, and ATV in Hong Kong whilst writing a column called CitySeen for South China Morning Post in 2002 at the height of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong. She ran MTV channels for Chinese and Korean pop culture MTV Chi and MTVK for MTV World, which was one of the first channels to popularize K-Pop. She then moved to China to be head of programming for MTV China. After starting a family, Shackle moved to London in 2014 and worked for Facebook and Instagram and then worked as a digital and social media marketing specialist in Dubai for the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. She is now back in Vancouver and running a digital and social media story telling consultancy.
Zining Wang, BA’18 – Project Coordinator at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Coming to study at UBC in summer 2013 was Zining’s first time to go abroad. Fast forward to 5 years later, she completed a double major in Asian Studies and Economics, a minor in Commerce and 16 months of Co-op work. Learning Farsi, Japanese, and exploring her Chinese identity through literature and movies became her fondest memory of UBC. Upon graduation, Zining joined the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, a non-for-profit think tank promoting Canada-Asia relations, to pursue her passion connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Realizing the mentorship she received from alumnus and professors has contributed greatly to her journey, Zining founded the Asia Pacific Mentorship Program in 2017 that provides students opportunities to learn more about a future career related to Asia. Outside of her work, Zining is a dialogue facilitator and has engaged with multiple initiatives to support conversations about diversity, inclusion, and intercultural awareness on UBC campus and beyond.
Emily Wu, BA ’03 & MA ’07 – Program Coordinator, UBC Extended Learning & UBC Internal Coach
Emily is currently an Internal Coach at UBC and a Program Coordinator at the UBC Extended Learning. Her current work involves developing, delivering, and managing innovative educational programs for adult professionals. Prior to working at UBC, she has worked as an Assistant to Consul for Cultural Affairs at Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver and a Coordinator for International Relations on the JET program. Emily currently serves on the board of Powell Street Festival Society and volunteers with Japan Fair Association of Vancouver and Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland.
**Stay tuned! Alumni bios will added as they are confirmed.**
Online registration is now closed. We will still be accepting registration at the door.