To the graduating class of 2026 Spring,
The Department of Asian Studies heartily congratulates you on the completion of your degree in Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia! We are extremely proud of you – this is an impressive achievement and we are inspired by your hard work and dedication!
To celebrate you, we composed this “UBC Asian Studies Class of 2026 Spring Graduates Yearbook” page featuring graduates sharing their perspectives on Asian Studies and thanks for those who supported their academic journeys.
2026 Spring Graduates Yearbook
Master’s degree
Specialization: Transnational Sinophone Cinema
Thesis title: Rubbery aesthetics : tracing directional and temporal movements of balloons in cinema
Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Rea and Mostafa Abedinifard
One piece of advice from my supervisor that stayed with me is that, as a researcher, you have to learn to be comfortable with uncertainty. I think this degree truly taught me that.
To see how a small curiosity can slowly grow into a full research project has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Thanks to all the wonderful people who made it possible!
Specialization: MA in Asian Studies
Thesis title: History of Stand-up Comedy in Hong Kong and a Critical Study on Dayo Wong Tze-Wah’s Dungduksiu
Supervisor: Dr. Helena Wu
Specialization: Premodern Japanese Literature
Thesis title: Between Presence and Absence : An Examination of Maternal Roles in Kagerō nikki
Supervisor: Dr. Christina Laffin
I am incredibly grateful to the many people who supported me through the ups and downs of this journey. Above all, I want to thank my supervisor, Dr. Christina Laffin, who believed in my initial research ideas and helped me shape them into something thoughtful and substantial. Through her guidance, patience, and generous mentorship, I built a strong foundation not only for my work, but also for how I understand academia and my field more broadly. Our conversations always left me feeling grounded, and despite her many commitments, she never hesitated to make time for me.
I am also deeply thankful to Tina Wong and Adam Barnett, whose support for graduate students in the department has meant so much to me. Their care and commitment created a space where students truly felt supported and valued.
Most of all, I feel so lucky to have met such wonderful friends and colleagues along the way. I have learned so much from them, not only about academia, but also about life, community, and myself. I have grown both intellectually and emotionally during my time here, and I will always carry this experience with gratitude.
Bachelor’s degree
Major in Asian Language and Culture (Chinese Literature)
Major in Asian Language and Culture (Chinese Literature)
Major in Asian Area Studies
Honours in Asian Area Studies
This degree in Asian Area Studies is a demanding one in the humanities and enabled me to deal with the tricky problems in today's complex world. The broadness of it offered me a range of useful knowledge, which I can easily apply to my career and future postgraduate studies.
In addition, the honours program provided me the opportunity to conduct graduate-level research under the supervision of a professor, it sharpens my research skills and sets me out of other competitive applicants to graduate schools.
Major in Asian Language and Culture (Korea)
I just wanna thank everybody who's been rocking with me and supporting everything I do since day one. Most of all, my family and everybody else. Appreciate it.
Double Major in Asian Language and Culture and Philosophy
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Hanyang Jiang, Renren Yang, Alison Bailey, Helena Wu, and many other professors for their invaluable support and guidance.
I am especially grateful to Dr. Hanyang Jiang for encouraging me to pursue graduate school and for the countless hours of assistance and support he provided throughout the process. I would also like to sincerely thank Dr. Renren Yang and Dr. Helena Wu for their significant support during my graduate school applications.
Finally, I feel very fortunate to have been a student in Dr. Alison Bailey's final course, and I am deeply appreciative of her thoughtful guidance and mentorship.
Major in Asian Area Studies
To engage in the fields under Asian Studies is to challenge narratives that exotisize the many cultures and peoples of Asia by engaging with the topic of Asia through voices from Asia. In doing so, the Asian Studies degree had help me to cultivate myself into a more rounded person by exploring topics that I am interested in.
I am thankful that I have been given the privilege to learn from experts in their fields, each of whom has treated me with respect by giving me a chance to develop contextualized, nuanced opinions.
Honours in Asian Languages & Culture (Japan)
Major in Asian Languages & Culture (Japan)
Being an alumnus of Asian Studies means you have carefully understood the role you play in a community and have actively worked to uphold the traditions and intentions of those around you, even if you do not necessarily see yourself as a member of the diaspora.
Community is the backbone of mental and physical well-being: reciprocity and group sharing are how we, as a society, grow and learn together.
Major in Asian Area Studies
Major in Asian Area Studies
Understanding different ways of thought and living is a valuable skill in our connected world. This degree has taught me how to become a sturdy bridge between cultures, and inspire that understanding in others.
Major in Asian Area Studies
I felt it was important to learn about Asian countries and cultures from my subjectivity, positionality and relationality. In particular, since I was born, raised, and educated in Japan before coming to Canada, I found the difference between Asia seen from within Asia and Asia seen through the Western framework to be very interesting and gave me a new perspective.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the professors. They answered my questions carefully and provided support and helped me navigate to my next step.
Major in Asian Language and Culture
Without Asian studies, you fail to understand the past, present, and future.
Shout out to Dr. Duffy, Dr. Rusk, Dr. Baker, the Chinese Language Department, and all my classmates.
Major in Asian Area Studies
Major in Asian Language and Culture
Major in Asian Area Studies
Major in Asian Area Studies
