East Asian Languages and Cultures

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Alumni Voices

Joseph Dennison, EALC B.A. Chinese, 2011

I came to college to learn Chinese, and -- ask anyone who is even slightly familiar with it -- and they will tell you it doesn't come from innate ability or fancy teaching methods; it comes from hard work and self-discipline.  If it wasn't for Deborah Peterson [instructor of Intermediate Chinese]  I would have never become the student I am today; I would not be in Beijing studying at Beijing University.

Magdalena Lam, EALC BA Japanese 2010

I am studying Occupational Therapy at KU Med now. Having majored in Japanese language & culture really helps me to appreciate and see the beauty in foreign cultures more. Being in the healthcare field, I think this is important. At KU Med, we have had a few assignments and lectures about cultural diversities. In OT school, we have always been learning how to be client-centered. As a therapist, it is important to develop intervention plans that are compatible to clients' values and cultural background.

Dave Cornelius, EALC B.A. Japanese, 2009

I’m working for ForTrade International in Lawrence, a company provides US procurement services for Japanese, Singaporean and other foreign customers.  My degree is incredibly pertinent to my everyday work.  Employers who work with Japanese customers recognize the very deep divide between American and Japanese business customs and seek out employees who have a cultural sensitivity towards the Japanese because those employees will better understand how to accommodate the customer's needs and will tend to be more patient with the idiosyncrasies of Japanese business culture.

Brian Devine, EALC BA Korean 2005

After graduating I moved to Seoul Korea and began working as an English Teacher. Living in the society that I studied throughout my time at KU and putting my language training to use, my undergraduate EALC education has been of great importance to me for sure. During my second year of teaching in Korea I continued to teach English and also took a position training other teachers how to connect with their students and adapt to their lives living in Korean society. After three years in Seoul, I have decided to take some time for myself to learn more about Asia by traveling through it. I have backpacked through China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and I am on my way to India and Nepal in the coming months. Before I set out on this epic journey, I submitted applications to graduate programs at USC, Seattle University and University of Washington. I hope to return to America to begin a Master's program in Urban Education this Fall with intent to eventually promote cultural awareness in public schools.

Diana Buie, EALC BA Chinese

I graduated in '05 with a BA in East Asian Language and Culture with an emphasis on Chinese. I taught English and continued to study Chinese in Shenzhen, China for a year, did some traveling around Europe, and returned to China to find work in Beijing. I worked for Ludus Tours as a translator and tour guide during the 2008 Olympics and the months leading up to it. I am now back at the KU School of Education getting my license to teach Chinese.

Tarah Herrington, EALC BA Japanese 2005

During my senior year I applied to the JET program to teach English in Japan and am proud to say I was accepted. I taught English for one year in Tomioka-machi, Gunma-ken. I then came home and did sales for a small start up company in Lawrence called "Thinkgeo". It is a GPS mapping and tracking company. I then decided I was ready to try a new adventure and move to a city in the US which happened to be Boston. I am now a "Tour Consultant" for EF Smithsonian Student Travel. I love giving students the opportunity to travel and possibly change their life forever!

James Miller, ECON/EALC BA Honors Japanese 1995

I have specialized in technology and law, with experience and skills in U.S.-Japan public policy and business. I am now an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission focusing on wireless and internet regulatory matters. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Law of American University, Washington College of Law, 2004-2006 Mansfield Fellow, and past JET Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) Rotary Youth Exchange Fellow. I publish and do public speaking in Japanese and English for bureacrats, "bengoshi" lawyers, and engineers alike on topics of technology, law, and international relations.

My work at the FCC focuses on with the regulation of spectrum, Internet policy, and emerging technologies. I have rulemaking experience in spectrum matters related to non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service, terrestrial fixed and mobile services, software-defined and cognitive radio, and part 15 device certification, and intentional and unintentional radiators. I was a member of the FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force, and has a strong legal background in copyright law and continues research in the area. As a Mansfield Fellow, I explored Japanese regulatory policies for the information society, particularly focusing on legal and regulatory reforms and spectrum policy, in the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Radio Policy Bureau (MIC), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Office of Senior-Vice Minister Yoshitaka SAKURADA, and the Tokyo District and High Court's Administrative Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections. I a graduated cum laude from the Washington College of Law, American University . I am bilingual in English and Japanese and live in Alexandria, VA with my wife and two children.

Chip Miller, MA in East Asian Studies, Chinese 1986

Earned a PhD in marketing at the Univeristy of Washington, Seattle, 1990. Now an international marketing professor at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa.