East Asian Languages and Cultures

Alumni News

2010

Howe, Timothy, B.A., EALC, has been accepted into the English Program in Korea (EPIK) and will begin teaching English in a South Korean public school in August 2011.

2009

Cain, Alison, EALC B.A. Japanese, 2009 is currently an Office Claims Representative at Farmers Insurance in Olathe, and specializing in conducting investigations regarding coverage for auto claims.

Cook, Geoff, MA East Asian Studies & MBA Marketing; BA, Japanese, 8/2005. Worked for about one year as a CRM Application Analyst at Garmin International and about a year at Service Management Group as a Research Analyst, both in Kansas City.He uses his Japanese language skills at his current job, doing some translation checking and a bit of interpretation.  

 Miyakawa, Sachiko, B. A. Journalism, minor Chinese. Since August 2010, has been working as a reporter for the Japanese newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun (the Mainichi Daily News). She lives in a small city named Matsue on the west coast of Honshu, where she covers local news including crime, court cases, and amateur sports.  She both writes stories and takes photos.

2008

Bollig, Peter, B.A. Philosophy, minor Chinese. Studied in K.U.’s Hong Kong study abroad program in 2006-07, and participated in K.U.’s China Direct Exchange in 2008-09, studying in Nanjing.

Knox, Jeremy, B.A., double major, history and Chinese, an Imagery Intelligence Analyst for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (www.nga.mil). For his work, as he tells us, he has to be part detective, part journalist, part historian, part analyst, and part writer. In support of national and military security goals, among other things he analyzes military force structure, capabilities, intentions, and vulnerabilities of adversaries and potential adversaries, weapons proliferation, emerging technologies, and treaty monitoring. Jeremy went straight from K.U. Chinese to his current job.

Shernuk, Kyle, B.A., Chinese, did his Honors Thesis under McMahon, then entered the M.A. program in East Asian Studies at the University of Oregon beginning fall 2008

2007

Bryant, Donna, B.A. Chinese, spent summers of 2004 and 2005 in Beijing (in the Princeton in Beijing program); and 2005-06 in K.U.’s Nanjing Direct Exchange Program. Currently working in Geospace Intelligence bureau, Washington, D.C.

Falwell, Jennifer, B.A. Chinese. Joined the Peace Corps, and was stationed in Niger beginning in summer 2007.

Knearem, Tiffany, B.A.,  EALC and Pyschology, has been accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and will start teaching English in a Japanese public school in August 2011.

2005

Buie, Diana, B.A.: Chinese. Studied in the ACC summer program in 2004. From 2006 to 2008 lived in Shenzhen, China, with her husband Herb, teaching English. Has returned to K.U. to study TESL beginning in 2009.

Chang, Jenny, B.A.: Chinese. Works as the English language secretary at the Mandarin Training Center of National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan. In a letter of Jan. 2009, she said: “ KU’s Chinese department provided a great base for my Chinese and helped me close the gap between my speaking/listening and reading/writing levels…. I am proud when people compliment my Chinese (upon learning that I grew up in Kansas) and I always mention that I studied Chinese at KU, because without it I would not have been able to attend my current classes…. I still recall my Chinese classes at KU with fondness and a lot of appreciation.”

Hedberg, Will, B.A.: Chinese, currently in Harvard Ph.D. program in Chinese beginning Sept. 2005, and in 2008-09 studying Japanese in Yokohama before returning to complete Ph.D.

Wright, John, B.A. Japanese.  Currently a pilot in the Air Force, stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA.  Married Hiroko fall 2009. 1 Apr 2011

Vierthaler, Paul, B.A.: Chinese, lived in China from 2005 to spring 2007, including a period in which he tutored the children of an M.A. graduate of EALC, Brent Johnson. Did an M.A. in East Asian Studies at Yale University and beginning in fall 2008 began the Ph.D. program at Yale.

2004

Pine, Charly, M.A., Chinese, 2004.  Currently in the Ph.D. program in Cultural Anthropology at Lanzhou University, Gansu Province, China.  Funded by the China Scholarship Council, he will conduct field research in Jishishan County, home of several Muslim communities, on ethnic minority education, including the impact of religion on education.

True, Megan, B.A.: Chinese. Studied in Nanjing under K.U.’s China Direct Exchange Program in 2004-05. Has been teaching English in China since 2007. An article of hers appeared in the Lawrence Journal World (Jan. 11, 2009, pp. D1-2) with photos of her trip to Zhongdian in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

2001

Kinsella, Steve, B.A.: Chinese. Worked for UPS in Kansas City, Mo.; now works for the Social Security Administration, where he is certified as a Chinese translator. Has completed an MBA at Edwards campus since leaving K.U. EALC.

2000

Garcia, Rudi, B.A., Chinese.  Works for the United Parcel Service in Kansas City as Director of International Sales.  He and his family lived in Suzhou, China, in 2007, where he used his Chinese conducting UPS sales training for workers there.  He now lives in Liberty, Missouri.

Monroe, Ryan, B.A.: Chinese, took part in K.U.’s China Direct Exchange Program and studied for one year in Zhengzhou, China. Entered Johns Hopkins Medical School in fall 2004, spent summer 2005 in Guangzhou as medical intern, and did an internship in Kansas City in fall 08.

Radtke, Eric, B.S.: Chinese. Works in Bangkok for Siemens Business Consulting doing business process engineering, process and governance controlling and implementation based on international best practices (Sarbanes Oxley, ISO, ITIL, etc).