Congratulations! Class of 2025

Faculty Advisor: Suyoung Son
Double Major in Asian Studies and History

"McKinley was remarkably poised and the most insightful and brilliant writer in my class. Her close readings and ability to draw our broader implications consistently elevated the level of class discussion. Our out-of-class exchanges about the deeper meanings of the texts were intellectually rewarding. I've observed how much she has grown - confident, articulate, and full of spark. With her keen intellectual acumen, I have no doubt she will thrive wherever she chooses to go. Congratulations on your graduation!" Suyoung Son

Faculty Advisor: Ivanna Yi
Double Major in Asian Studies and Biological Sciences

"It has been a joy to advise Eddie for the past few years. Eddie is an inventive and capacious thinker. I remember well how, for a creative writing assignment on the Korean sijo lyric verse form, Eddie decided to write his sijo in both Chinese and English, with moving and detailed images that allowed the reader to have compassion for the speaker's experiences. Eddie was also so invested in the p'ansori epic storytelling from that he not only wrote his final paper on the subject, but asked me to teach him how to sing one of the songs from the Tale of Ch'un-hyang in greater depth than we were able to do in our class workshop. We returned to Triphammer Falls to sing the song in front of the waterfall! Eddie is currently applying for medical school, and I imagine he will bring his creativity and humanity to his future patients. Warmest congratulations, Eddie!" Ivanna Yi

Faculty Advisor: Chiara Formichi

"In the digital age we live in, I cherish the memory of our first meeting for the "Project of Modernity" seminar in Spring 2023. When I asked that for the first three weeks all students exclusively take hand-written notes, Andrew was the only one to be non-plussed - "I prefer pen and paper anyway..." he commented, while his classmates looked around in discomfort. It has been a real pleasure to have him in class - richly contributing to conversations on Japan, Turkey and all that lies in between - and as an advisee. I wish Andrew all the best with his future endeavors, Congratulations!" Chiara Formichi

Faculty Advisor: Nick Admussen
Double Major in Asian Studies and College Scholar

"McKenna is Asian Studies' first-ever recipient of the Tina Han Su Cooper award, a recipient of a departmental research grant during which she lived in a Taiwanese monastery, an alumni of Cornell's affiliate program at National Taiwan University, and a College Scholar whose thesis, "Trans/lation: Embodied Translation, Queered Definitions, and Chinese Literatuer" received top honors. In the fall, she will start a master's degree as a member of the Yenching Academy at Beijing University. Past all that, though, she is one of our most creative, energetic, and humane thinkers, and has contributed greatly to the lives of her classmates and faculty while at Cornell. She will be sorely missed!" Nick Admussen

Faculty Advisor: Suyoung Son
Double Major in Asian Studies and FGSS

"Sabrina has embraced every opportunity to deepen her passion for Asian Studies, with a special focus on Korean art history. Her intellectual curiosity and determination have guided her through rigorous Korean language training, participation in the distinguished Humanities Scholars Program, an exchange program at Sotheby's in London, and hands-on work with the Asian Art Collection at the Johnson Museum of Art. Through these diverse and enriching experiences, she has demonstrated outstanding academic preparation, strong organizational skills, and an unwavering commitment to her career goals. Together, these accomplishments have prepared her exceptionally well for a successful postgraduate year at Oxford. Congratulations!" Suyoung Son

Faculty Advisor: Chiara Formichi
Double Major in Asian Studies and Government

"Anyone who has met Khadija knows she is a force of nature. In the years she has been at Cornell, challenges have abound, but she has persisted, and succeeded. I consider myself privileged to have had her as a student, an advisee, and a conversation partner. It was wonderful to see her take her Asian Studies major in stride, studying abroad in Hong Kong, and doing field research for her Honors' Thesis in Pakistan as well as Indonesia. Her work on Muslim girls' education is inspiring, and I am sure she will leave a big footprint in the world. Congratulations!" Chiara Formichi

Faculty Advisor: Chiara Formichi

"Getting to know Michelle, her passion for learning languages and her overall interest in Asian Studies, has been wonderful. I am happy we have her in our midst, and I wish her a bright future after Cornell!" Chiara Formichi

Faculty Advisors: Nick Admussen (chair), Kristin Roebuck (minor member)
Thesis Title: "Alienated Presence and Its Paradox: AIDS, Finitude, and Queer Relationality"

"Hairuo entered Cornell as a particularly skilled communicator, writing incisive, clear prose and contributing to her seminar communities with humor and grace. As she's studied and explored here, she's begun to ask deeply difficult questions about the purpose of the humanities and the future she'd like to build. Her thesis, "Alienated Presence and its Paradox: AIDS, Finitude and Queer Relationality" asks how people can and should care for one another both in and out of crisis. It is a deeply humane document and shows her to be fully ready to take next steps into the academy and into the world. Congratulations!" Nick Admussen

Faculty Advisors: Andrew Campana (co-chair), Nick Admusen (co-chair)
Thesis Title: "Vocaloid Nationalism: an analysis of Production and Consumption of Vocaloid music in Japan and China"

"Yujia has been a pleasure to teach and learn from during his degree - his facility with new digital materials, his patience and hard work, and his first-person interrogation of transnational experience have all enriched the community. We were lucky to share space with him, and I predict his future communities will feel the say way." Nick Admussen

Faculty Advisors: Tamara Loos (chair), Kristin Roebuck (minor member)
Thesis Title: “The Thailand National Institute of Women's Culture and Bourgeois Ideal Thai Femininity, 1940s-1950s”

“Namfon is, simultaneously, demure and sweet, on the one hand, and a deeply critical thinker on the other. I am looking forward to working with her in the History Ph.D. program where she can pursue her innovative projects on Thai gender and politics.” Tamara Loos

Faculty advisors: John Whitman (chair), Eric Tagliacozzo (minor member)
Thesis Title: “Intercommunal  Peace Building in Rakhine State: Processes and Resocialization Mechanisms”

"Those of you fortunate enough to have taken a class with Saya Yu Yu Khaing know that Cornell maintains its proud tradition in Burmese language studies by including in the Asian Studies faculty one of the leading teachers of Burmese in the world. Through her classwork and meetings with our Southeast Asian Studies faculty, MA committee member Eric Tagliacozzo, as well as Magnus Fiskejo and Chiara Formichi, Yu Yu has made herself a true Myanmar area specialist. Her thesis, "Intercommunal Peace Building in Rakhine State: Processes and Resocialization Mechanisms", explores the best known and perhaps most intractable of Myanmar's many conflicts, the intercommunal conflict between Muslim Rohingyas and the Rakine (Arakan) population of Rakhine State. The methodology is an example of participatory research in an exceptionally fraught environment. Yu Yu took part in the group sessions of a locally-based youth organization in Rakhine State formed to bring youth from both communities together, then interviewed both Rohingya and Rakine members over the course of two years. Her results sound a note of hope but also provide a picture of the enormity of the challenges facing her country." John Whitman

Faculty Advisors: Lucinda Ramberg (chair), Nick Admussen (minor member), Saida  Hodzic (minor member)
Thesis Title: “Dalit Futures: Critical Caste Parenting and Dalit Women in Nepal”

Faculty Advisors: Nick Admussen (chair), Elias Friedman (minor member), Andrea Bachner (minor member)
Dissertation Title: "The Poetics of Precarious Labor: Migrant Workers' Cultural Praxis in Contemporary China"

"Du Yunfei is a gifted reader, an industrious and inventive writer, a delightful teacher, and a dogged advocate for working people in China and around the world. Over the years of his Ph.D., he's been operating a very successful career in English, culminating in several publications and his dissertation, "The Poetics of Precarious Labor: Migrant Workers' Cultural Praxis in Contemporary China." At the same time, he's been a Chinese cultural commentator and critic who has written on topics ranging from campus life at Cornell to the politics of Maurice Blanchot. During his time here, Yunfei has been a leader in the graduate student community, a trusted interlocutor to his faculty friends and supporters, and a source of patient, kind energy in the classroom. He has earned every inch of his degree with hard work, and the resulting dissertation is testimony to his immense skill and extremely bright future. Congratulations, Yunfei!" Nick Admussen