Alumni Spotlight – Taylor Sadler, BA '15
Taylor Sadler, BA ‘15, worked as a Cultural Ambassador for the Labo International Exchange Foundation in Japan after graduating. Her job involved going to different community groups and giving children a chance to interact with a foreigner, learn about a foreign culture, and practice their English.
Clayton Ashton
Ph.D. Student – Early Chinese history
I study the political and intellectual history of early China. My dissertation is focused on the period of about 300 BCE. This was a period of history when people were beginning to ask some fascinating and original questions about some big topics that we’re still struggling with today: how to organize a state, how to balance individual desires with collective needs, and what it means to be ethical during a period of upheaval.
Ben Whaley
Ph.D. Student – Modern Japanese literature, Graduated 2016
I research Japanese video games (Bleep Bloop!) and write about the ways in which they engage with social issues and national trauma. For my purposes, this means analyzing console games that address issues of natural disasters, a declining birthrate and aging population, and traumatic war memory in Japan.
Douglas Ober
Ph.D. Student – Modern Indian buddhism
My dissertation rests at the intersection of South Asian history and Buddhist studies. Put simply, the conventional view in academia (and beyond) is that sometime between the 12th – 15th century, Buddhism “died” or “disappeared” from India before being “reborn” in 1956 when the Indian constitutionalist, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, converted to Buddhism along with half a million of his Dalit (“Untouchable”) followers.
Mareike Entzian
Mareike Entzian, BA ’15, is currently working for Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, contributing articles, translations and general social media management and editorial tasks for their communications department. Before graduating, Mareike worked for the department of Asian Studies as a work/learn student.
Milton Kiang
Milton Kiang, B.A., LLB. is a Sr. Resume Writer with Vancouver Resume Professional. Milton helps clients win job interviews by writing professional, impeccable resumes that capture an applicant’s biggest “selling points” to an employer. He has written previously for the Vancouver Sun, the Vancouver Courier and the Georgia Straight, and was a contributor to the Career & Business section of The Lawyers Weekly newspaper. Milton’s writing has also appeared in online job sites such as FreshGigs.ca and BCJobs.ca
Asian Studies Alumni Spotlight Featuring Micki Cowan
Micki Cowan, BA 2011, pursued a career in journalism after graduating. Last summer she spent two months around Shanghai gathering footage, interviews and doing research for a documentary that will be coming out this April called “Dying to Breathe” regarding the air pollution in China.
John Tak
John Tak, BA’82 (Asian Studies) is Vice President of International Business for the Factors Group of Nutritional Companies Inc., Canada’s largest manufacturer of nutraceutical products. John also worked as Director of Asian Business Development for Magna International Inc., Canada’s largest auto parts manufacturer. John speaks and reads Japanese, having worked in Japan for eight years.
Kayla Black
Kayla Black, BA 2014, recently returned from an exchange to South Korea and attended Ewha University for 2 semesters.
Asian Studies Alumni Spotlight with Melody Pan
Melody Pan completed her BA with honors in Asian Studies in 2014. She most recently worked for Bandai Namco Studios Vancouver (the same company responsible for Katamari Damacy) and is currently searching for new opportunities in Japanese translation. We interviewed her in order to share her experience and lessons.