Jessica (she/her) is currently pursuing an M.A. in Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Christina Yi. She received her B.A. at UBC in 2021 during which she majored in Psychology and Asian Language and Culture.

Jessica’s research focuses on Japanese modern literature, specifically on the first-person female narratives by writer Dazai Osamu (1909-48). She intends to investigate and highlight Dazai’s manipulation of gender, the function of his feminized voice, and the narrative elements that differentiate his works from the discourses of his time in her research.

Jessica also volunteered at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre as a bookstore assistant before returning to UBC. This experience sparked her interest in translation: she hopes to expose untranslated Japanese novels to a wider audience through research and discussion.