Becky graduated from Yale in 2005 with a degree in Religious Studies and a focus in Buddhism.  Having spent a summer in Tibet with the University of Michigan, she returned for postgraduate work with the University of Virginia and studied Tibetan independently at Tibet University in Lhasa.  Her interest in Tibetan Studies centers on national and ethnic identities and the borders--both geopolitical and cultural--that delineate them.  Because of this, it overlaps significantly with Chinese Studies.  She intends to pursue her interests in a PhD after finishing the MARSEA program.
rsb2124@columbia.edu

Julia graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 2008 with dual degrees in International Relations and East Asian Studies.  After studying the history of the Chinese legal system at the University of Oxford in England for a term, she returned to Johns Hopkins to complete her undergraduate thesis on the revival of Confucianism and the influence of tradition on Chinese modernity.  In 2007, she served as a Foreign Service intern at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong where she worked closely with American, Hong Kong, and Mainland attorneys to understand the legal reform process occurring in China. She is researching the role of alternative dispute resolution methods in the Asian Pacific for her MARSEA dissertation and will be starting law school next fall.
jc3269@columbia.edu

After getting a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, Daniel wandered to Asia, thinking he would stay for six months teaching English in Japan. Six months turned into three years living in Japan and traveling throughout Asia, mostly to countries with beaches and SCUBA equipment. He returned to the U.S.
in March 2006 to continue his education, with a new focus on Japan and international affairs. In summer 2008, he returned to Japan to continue his language studies and conduct interviews as primary research for his MARSEA thesis.
dad2133@columbia.edu

Elizabeth graduated from Northwestern University in 2002, majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Japanese Language and Culture. From 2003-2005 she worked as an English teacher (on the JET Program) in rural Japan, dividing her time between two junior high schools and eight elementary schools. Elizabeth currently works as a Program Officer at the United States-Japan Foundation, planning and organizing the Foundation's US-Japan Leadership Program. She will continue to work as she pursues her masters degree in Regional Studies: East Asia, focusing on Japan.
eag2137@columbia.edu

Ryan graduated from Carleton College in 2006 with his BA in Political Science/International Relations. After graduation, Ryan went back to Korea and worked as a Research Analyst at Samsung Economic Research 
Institute, Financial Analyst at Hana Investment Bank and Merrill Lynch. Ryan's research interests include US-North Korea relations and North Korea's capitalization and economic reform.
el2470@columbia.edu

After graduating from Sophia University of Japan, Mariko joined the Asahi Shimbun in 1995. As a city news reporter, she has covered some of the major national and international events such as the Nagano Winter Olympic Games, Okinawa G8 summit, and the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Mariko has developed a keen interest in Japan’s historical relations with East Asian countries and the role of popular culture in solving friction between Japan and its neighbors. She will return to her job after she completes the MARSEA program. She is also a loving mother of a 5 month old son.
msm2175@columbia.edu

Mareike graduated from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, with a degree in East Asian Studies and a focus on modern China in 2007. While applying for the MARSEA program, she continued doing graduate studies in Heidelberg and working part time for the Cluster “Asia and Europe in Global Context”, a research project funded by the German Research Foundation. After finishing the MARSEA program, Mareike would like to continue with a Ph.D. Her research interests include the history of the PRC, China’s role in the world, the media in China, and cultural exchanges between China and the West.
mso2114@columbia.edu

Xavier graduated in 2005 from the University of Barcelona with a degree in English Philology. He also obtained a second degree at UOC-Barcelona, this time in East Asian Studies. His concentration in China was decided during his two years of living there, when he studied the language, worked in the private sector and collaborated with environmental NGOs (and was the drummer of a cross-national rock band with regular gigs in Beijing). His main interest lies in contemporary Chinese cultural production and comparative culture studies. He is currently planning his future PhD studies.
xo2109@columbia.edu

Liz graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Asian Studies before going to teach at Tanghu Zhongxue, a Provincial Key School in Sichuan, China. When she returned to the US, she worked for a reference publisher and social media company as their project coordinator for China projects. She is interested in US-China relations and socially responsible business development between the two countries.
ens2113@columbia.edu