Oluwakemi Adewalure
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Campana
Double major in Asian Studies and American Studies
Kemi received a December 2021 degree.
"Kemi was an amazing student who actively engaged in every class section not only with critical insights into each week’s materials, but with a consistent attention paid to the ethics and the broader ramifications of the topic at hand. One of her greatest strengths is how she draws connections across seemingly disparate material: her independent study with me was a tour-de-force in which she synthesized, linked together and expanded upon four different courses' worth of material in a way was far more interesting than anything I had actually "taught" her." Andrew Campana
Tayyaba Ali
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Campana
Double major in Asian Studies and Computer Science
"Tayyaba is a wonderful presence in any classroom, and I've had the privilege to witness her fiercely innovative and ethically complex explorations in feminist media and literature in multiple semesters. Her academic strengths lie not only in her elegant writing but in her powerful experiments in critical media practice: designing games, poetry books, zines, and more in order to push her investigations even further when words aren't enough."Andrew Campana
Scout Coker
Faculty Advisor: Jane-Marie Law
Double major in Asian Studies and Linguistics
"Scout is a thrilling presence in my Japanese Film Class, always noticing the minute but oh-so-important details that no one else does and turning conventional readings of these cinematic works on their heads. They reliably change the direction of conversation, and always towards something more interesting and exciting—my highest compliment." Andrew Campana
Arianna Dang
Faculty Advisor: Ivanna Yi
Double major in Asian Studies and China-Asia Pacific Studies (CAPS)
"Arianna Dang is a double major in CAPS and Asian Studies, specializing in Chinese politics and US-China relations and interested more broadly in the history of East Asia. Arianna excelled in my Introduction to Korea course, bringing her strong intellect and enthusiasm for Korean culture and language to class discussions. She aspires to become a Public Diplomacy Officer in the U.S. Foreign Service and I wish her all the best in her endeavors."Ivanna Yi
Victorious Jean
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Campana
"Vic's brilliance is inseparable from his strong sense of compassion, both of which have showed in his work throughout his academic career. His exploration of poetry and Alzheimer's in my Japanese Poetry class—for which he located and translated several poems from the original Japanese, and connected dementia to experimental works of Japanese concrete poetry —remains one of the most powerful student works I've ever read." Andrew Campana
Nina Johnson
Faculty Advisor: Ivanna Yi
Double major in Asian Studies and History
"Nina Johnson is a double major in History and Asian Studies, focusing on the cultures and histories of East Asia. It was a pleasure to work with her in my Korean Studies courses, where she wrote remarkable poems and contributed thought-provoking insights on Korean literature, film, and culture. I look forward to hearing where her wide-ranging interests and expertise in East Asia takes her."Ivanna Yi
Chloe Kalani
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Campana
Double major in Asian Studies and Linguistics
"Chloe has done fantastic work in our department in the realm of Japanese poetics and media studies, and her honor's thesis is a thrilling culmination of her diverse explorations. In it, she rethinks Japanese and English-language theories of gender, genre and popular media from the ground up, focusing on a prominent franchise with a genderfluid protagonist; her intervention is fascinating and timely. She will thrive in whatever she does and happily it looks like her next step is to move to Japan." Andrew Campana
Michelle Kim
Faculty Advisor: Chiara Formichi
Double major in Asian Studies and History
"Michelle always brought energy to our class discussions, sharing deep insights and new ways of looking at the material. An Awardee of the first Diversity Research Grant, it was a true pleasure to support her as she honed her research skills. As much a pleasure was to be a reader for her History Honors’ Thesis. I wish her all the best for the future!"Chiara Formichi
Reza Madhavan
Faculty Advisor: Chiara Formichi
Double major in Asian Studies and History
"Reza has consistently surprised me, in the best of ways, in the past four years, with his creativity, sharpness and dedication. His tabla dangdut performance, and related reflections, was truly special! I wish him the best of luck with his further endeavors." Chiara Formichi
Gabriel Paz-Soldan
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Campana
Double major in Asian Studies and Economics
"I was truly excited to supervise Gabe's honor's thesis in Asian Studies this year, a wonderful and sophisticated exploration of two of Japan's most important (and opaque) modern poets— Hagiwara Sakutarō and Murano Shirō—and how they used their work to grapple with the transition to modernity. This difficult thesis topic really captures Gabe's strength as a student: throughout all of his classes, he's been willing to ask the tough questions, to do the work, and to push forward even when the path ahead is obscured. A real pleasure to teach."Andrew Campana
Jason Wang
Faculty Advisor: Daniel Boucher
"Jason came to Cornell with an already high-level ability in Japanese language. He has rounded out his desire to enrich his knowledge of Japanese culture by also pursuing two minors in Business and International Relations. Jason has also been active in the International Students Union, the Japan-U.S. Association, and the Mainland China Student Association. His plans to spend a year abroad in Japan were thwarted by COVID, but he was able to take a range of courses at Keiō University online during the pandemic lockdown. Jason has most recently been admitted to the Master of Professional Studies in Management program at the Johnson Graduate School of Management for next year with an impressive merit-based scholarship." Daniel Boucher
Julie Wang
Faculty Advisor: Suyoung Son
Double major in Asian Studies and History
"Hailing from China, Julie (Yanxin) Wang did not dare to expand her intellectual boundaries into uncharted territory without losing a deep connection with her cultural heritage. I am confident that her keen, kind, and insightful mind will be determined to seek out her true passions and the best possible ways to contribute her exceptional talents to the world. Congratulations!" Suyoung Son
DeJuan Webb
Faculty Advisor: Nick Admussen
"DeJuan Webb is a scholar whose curiosities are truly global, one who has taken courses in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, in art history, political science, and anthropology. He is also a student of the Chinese language, having excelled at the extremely prestigious and challenging Chinese language program at Princeton in Beijing. His career interests are as wide as his skillset, but he's considering opportunities in education and his faculty and friends in the department cannot wait for news of his continued searching, questioning, community-building and brilliance." Nick Admussen
Shuya Zhao
Faculty Advisor: Ding Xiang Warner
Double major in Asian Studies and Linguistics
Shuya received a December 2021 degree.
"Shuya Zhao is a double major in Asian Studies and Linguistics, who distinguished herself by her impressive self-motivation and self-discipline, and who furthermore stood out for her keen intellectual curiosity and strong sense of social justice and equality. I treasure the memory of our many conversations—about Chinese literature and culture and our shared passion for reading—and I wish her all the best as she embarks on the next phase of her life’s journey." Ding Xiang Warner
Yuanxue Jing
Special Committee:
Co-chairs: Andrew Campana - Asian Studies
Nick Admussen - Asian Studies
Yuanxue will receive an M.A. in Asian Studies in May 2022.
"Yuanxue is a brilliantly innovative emerging scholar, who combines scholarly writing and critical media practice in ways that put her at the cutting edge of the study of Japanese media - she's the type of thinker who not only thrives in the medium of academic writing, but is willing to create her own interactive game, poem, or manga to get the full scope of her ideas across. I'm thrilled that she will be joining us this fall as part of the incoming Ph.D. cohort!" Andrew Campana
Daniel Loebell
Special Committee:
Chair: Daniel Gold - Asian Studies
Minor members: Allen Carlson - Government
Sarah Besky - ILR & Anthropology
Daniel will receive an M.A. in Asian Studies in August 2022.
"Daniel came to the Master's program with a background in China studies, a new academic interest in Nepal, and some interesting social-scientific ideas about trade relations between the two countries. He managed to formulate his basic research question during his first semester in our program and in pursuing it took courses in anthropology, law, and government in addition to Nepali. Beginning with a specific local inquiry about bilateral trade agreements, Daniel has increasingly broadened his areal and theoretical horizons and presented a thoughtful thesis speaking to his original question and beyond - one on which he can build as he starts his Ph.D. work at Northwestern University this fall." Dan Gold
"Congrats, Daniel. It's been a total pleasure to think with you over the last couple of years. I have learned a lot about a place that I thought I knew well by looking at it anew through your interdisciplinary perspective. I appreciate the verve and dedication with which you approach your work. All best wishes for a bright future in the field!" Sarah Besky
Jiaxin Luo
Special Committee:
Chair: An-Yi Pan - History of Art
Minor member: Suyoung Son - Asian Studies
Jiaxin will receive an M.A. in Asian Studies in August 2022.
“The topic of Jiaxin’s M.A. thesis is difficult even for a mature scholar, it is based on the study of an album from the Johnson Museum here on campus. Though complex and profound, the album offers an opportunity for scholars to delve into the Buddhist meditation practice in China from the Song to the Ming periods. Normally I would not recommend an M.A. degree-seeking student to take on this challenge, but Jiaxin was very interested in meditation and was willing to devote her entire M.A. study to this album. I am happy that she has made so much progress in her study of this album, as well as of Chinese Buddhist history and philosophy.” An-Yi Pan
Nikita Sukmono
Special Committee:
Chair: Tom Pepinsky - Government
Minor member: Chiara Formichi - Asian Studies
Nikita will receive an M.A. in Asian Studies in August 2022.
"I have had the great honor to work with Nikita over these most unusual past couple of years. Although I have known her longer than I care to admit, we really got to know one another via Zoom in our Southeast Asian Politics graduate section. I knew she was special from the beginning - thoughtful and incisive in her comments, with a knack for posing interesting questions. And I discovered a whole different side of her as SEAP grad co-chair, where her leadership kept us all together during these uncertain times. We are all so proud of her, and I especially am to." Tom Pepinsky
Manasicha Akepiyapornchai
Special Committee:
Chair: Lawrence McCrea - Asian Studies
Minor members: Anne Blackburn - Asian Studies
Daniel Gold - Asian Studies
Ad Hoc members: Francis Clooney - Harvard Divinity School
Srilata Raman - University of Toronto
Manasicha will receive a Ph.D. in Asian Literature, Religion & Culture in May 2022.
"Manasicha first came to Cornell in 2014, and has completed her MA and PhD here. Manasicha's graduate studies were fully funded by a prestigious and generous scholarship from the Ananda Mahidol foundation, and I think as she completes her doctoral work it is clear that she has proven more than worthy of this substantial investment. My sense of Manasicha, as I look back over the years we have worked together, is overwhelmingly of a scholar who has at every stage made the most of every opportunity offered her to expand and develop her abilities and deepen her understanding of the intellectual and spiritual worlds of premodern India. Manasicha very early set out for herself an ambitious research program that required full mastery of a variety of Indian theological, philosophical and literary discourses in multiple language traditions. From the beginning, she has sought out and developed working relationships with top scholars in her field across the world. She arranged for visiting terms at Harvard and the University of Toronto, and maintained working relationships by Zoom with scholars from both these institutions for years after her study there. She also developed strong working relationships with senior scholars in Hamburg, Pondichery, and other centers around the world. Making the most of our interconnected world, she kept up her work here by Zooming in for all the reading groups and Sanskrit classes available here even during the many terms she was working elsewhere. She has always pushed herself extremely hard in all areas, and the results are now clear for all to see. In just a few years she has progressed from being a dedicated student to a major and world-recognized expert in Sanskrit, Tamil, and the history of South Indian theology. Working with Manasicha and watching her development as a scholar during her time here has been an extraordinary privilege, and, much as I will miss her, I delighted to see her move on to a well-deserved position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas, Austin. I wait eagerly to learn all that she has to teach us."Larry McCrea
"Working with Manasicha taught me much about the early second-millennium intellectual history of Tamil country, helping me to better understand the insitutitional and textual communities that developed just across the water from Lanka (on which I specialize). Manasicha's scholarship combines rigorous close readings with valuable contributions to our wider understanding of multilinguality in South Asia. Congratulations to Manasicha!" Anne Blackburn
"During Manasicha's years as a graduate student our different off-campus semesters conspired to keep us from working extensively together. Thus, when I finally started reading her final dissertation draft, it appeared as fresh work from which I learned a lot. The more I read, the more I saw Manasicha as a truly awesome scholar: a master of several difficult languages, a writer with a clearly defined thesis that builds creatively on the work of her predecessors, and an indefatigable researcher who provides ample evidence for each of her claims. It's not surprising, then, that she will be joining the University of Texas at Austin as an assistant professor of classical studies of South Asia in the Fall. She does us proud." Dan Gold
Tarinee Awasthi
Special Committee:
Chair: Daniel Gold - Asian Studies
Minor members: Anne Blackburn - Asian Studies Lawrence McCrea - Asian Studies
Tarinee will receive a Ph.D. in Asian Literature, Religion & Culture in May 2022.
"When I first read Tarinee's Ph.D. application I was much impressed by its ambition and depth. Working with Sanskrit texts, she would examine moments of spiritual initiation within their own traditions as well as through lenses of post-colonial studies, looking for a space that might illuminate the truths of both perspectives. She never lost sight of her directions. During her five years of Ph.D. work, Tarinee took courses in contemporary theory although she seemed to find more joy in immersing herself in Sanskrit religious and philosophical texts, on which she wrote a number of published papers. In her dissertation, however, she brought Sanskrit studies and post-colonial thought together around moments of initiation in a coherent and hightly creative way - the rare student who successfully completes the bold project they first set out to do. This bodes well for future productivity. Tarinee will now move on to a regular position at FLAME University, a well-regarded private institution in Pune, India." Dan Gold
"Working with Tarinee brought to life a world of intellectual reflection and argumentation from late second millennium, helping me to better understand the ongoing vitality of Vedantā and Mīmāṃsā in South Asia. Tarinee's scholarship reveals a keen eye for hermeneutical intertextuality, and offers fruitful pathways for interlocution between post-colonial theories and South Asian intellectual history. Congratulations to Tarinee!" Anne Blackburn
"It has been a delight working with Tarinee over the past few years. Rarely I have encountered the combination of receptivity and critical acumen that characterizes her in all her scholarly endeavors. Even a brief conversation with Tarinee will quickly reveal that she is an intellectual in the truest and best sense of the word. Her interests and accomplishments always range far beyond her immediate academic focus, and she brings to all her studies a quick and fertile mind seasoned by deep experience that ever exceeds her impressive schooling. Much of the ever-impressive cultural repertoire she brought with her when she began her studies— her subtle and variegated study of a wide range of Sanskrit texts, her deep emotional engagement with Tulsi Das's Ramcharitmanas and the world of devotionalism that surrounds it, her dedicated but always critical engagement with post-colonial theory— is rooted in a personal devotion to these pursuits that always extends far beyond any narrow careerist or professional concerns. She combines serious scholarly rigor and joyful lightness in her work and her life in a way that should be an example to us all. As she assumes her new duties as Assistant Professor of History at FLAME University in Pune, I eagerly wait to see what she will have to offer to her field of study, her students, and the world."Larry McCrea
Tinakrit Sireerat
Special Committee:
Co-chairs: Naoki Sakai - Asian Studies Arnika Fuhrmann - Asian Studies
Minor member: Sara Pritchard - Science and Technology Studies
Tinakrit will receive a Ph.D. in Asian Literature, Religion & Culture in August 2022.
"When Tinakrit arrived at Cornell in 2015 after completing a B.A. at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, he was already an independent, highly organized scholar who impressed us with the conceptual sophistication of his research project. In the years of his doctoral study in Asian Studies, he would go on to create a project of singular originality that combines approaches in intellectual history and science and technology studies. Investigating the role of the environment and of animals in Thai and Japanese historical contexts, Tinakrit's work broaches new questions in the study of the environment in history and thereby reinvigorates the question of the constitution of colonial discourse and governance. His work on enviro-colonial policy is truly path-breaking and we are very proud to now count Tinakrit as an exciting new colleague." Arnika Fuhrmann
"Congratulations, Tinakrit! So proud of you and what you've accomplished. It's been an honor and pleasure thinking with you." Sara Pritchard
Nari Yoon
Special Committee:
Chair: Naoki Sakai - Asian Studies
Minor members: Andrew Campana - Asian Studies Christine Balance - Performing & Media Arts
Ad Hoc member: Travis Workman - University of Minnesota
Nari will receive a Ph.D. in Asian Literature, Religion & Culture in August 2022.
"Nari is a wonderful thinker and writer, whose work on modern and contemporary Korean intellectual history, literature, and performance elegantly and powerfully combines multiple fields of inquiry into something genuinely exciting. Not only that, she was a key part of the intellectual life of our department in her time here, particularly in her commitment to strenghten the graduate student community. Thank you so much, Nari!" Andrew Campana
