Tristan Lee Riven ’06, an independent video game designer and entrepreneur with Team Sprocket, based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, will deliver a one-hour address on the gaming industry’s impact on Malaysian economic and social development at TEXPO Asia in November 2012. TEXPO Asia is the largest annual gathering of entrepreneurs in the Southeast Asian region.
Ben Botiller ’03 Becomes a Father
Ben Botiller ’03 and his wife Kaori welcomed a daughter, Ursula Layne Botiller, earlier this month. The Botillers live in Higashiōmi, Japan, where Ben is employed by the Takata Corporation.
Dylan A. Bracken ’11: Fair Trade with Asia
Dylan A. Bracken ’11 has just accepted a position with MacroSun International, a company that promotes fair trade items produced by Asian artisans, in St. Louis, Missouri. Dylan plans to continue his studies at the graduate level in fall 2013.
Asian Studies Alumni Join Forces as Video Game Developers
Having spent the last six years living and working in South Korea, home to the world’s most avid gamers, Tristan Lee Riven ’06 and John Sexton ’06 have relocated to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia to try their hand at video game development.
Berea Graduate Returns to Teach Chinese
Vera Marinova ’06, who completed what then was an independent major in Asian Studies at Berea and went on to study East Asian languages and cultures at Indiana University, is returning to her alma mater to teach Chinese language during fall term 2012. While teaching at Berea this fall, Vera also will be preparing to defend her M.A. thesis at I.U., which deals with the role of NGOs in shaping Chinese environmental policies and regulations.
Cash Prize for Undergraduate Asian Studies Essay
Students currently or recently enrolled at ASIANetwork member institutions such as Berea College may submit essays on any topic in Asian Studies for the 2012 Marianna McJimsey Award. The author of the winning essay will receive a cash prize as well as lodging and meals at the ASIANetwork Annual Conference in April 2013. Essays must be submitted by November 1, 2012.
Jane Tonello ’11 Goes to Japan for Ph.D.
Jane Tonello ’11 has been accepted as a graduate student by Kyushu University’s System Life Sciences Program in Fukuoka, Japan. Jane is one of only two students who have been admitted into this program as part of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s “Global 30” initiative, which aims to promote the globalization of higher education in Japan by recruiting foreign students to study at Japanese universities. Over the next five years, Jane will complete her graduate studies in bio-engineering, culminating in a Ph.D. in the field.
You can follow Jane’s adventures in Japan by visiting her blog.
Darlene Smith ’12 to Teach in China
Darlene Smith ’12 has accepted a position as an English teacher in Yuncheng in southwestern Shanxi Province, China. Darlene will instruct middle school students there from August 2012 through January 2013, after which she plans to relocate to the Pacific Northwest and pursue further education and employment opportunities related to Asia.
Follow Darlene’s adventures in China by visiting her blog.
New Asian Studies professors
Two new professors will join the Berea College faculty in fall 2012: Dr. Chung-lan Wang (Art History) and Mr. Nathan Patton (Japanese). Huānyíng 欢迎! Yōkoso ようこそ! Welcome!
Congratulations, Asian Studies Class of 2012!
The Asian Studies Program congratulates May 2012 graduates and Asian Studies majors Darlene Smith, Harvey Taylor, Caleb Towers, and Daniel West!