Asia Hands

Student Presentations of Scholarly and Creative Work

Maytsua Vangsoua Thao and Eve Vang were supported by Mary Geller's office to attend the Midwest Asian American Student Association conference in Madison, Wisconsin during April 2004. Both presented stunning papers on being Asian-American in the American Midwest. Mary would like to support Asian-American student participation in this event every year.

Student Awards, Scholarships, Fellowships

Hoa Thi Nguyen ('04) a Management major and Asian Studies minor, who studied at Southwest China Normal University, has been active in the ASLC, was twice awarded the Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Wang and S.Telan Hu Scholarship in Asian Studies, and is outgoing president of the campus Asia Club, was one of four recipients of the highly prestigious Asian Pacific Leadership Awards for 2004. The other recipients include Dr. Roy H. Saigo, President of Saint Cloud State University, Yvonne Cheung Ho, and the Pangrea World Theater. Hoa is preparing for a career in promoting economic relations between the U.S. and her native Vietnam.

Kristina Sherman ('06) has been awarded the Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Wang and S.Telan Hu Scholarship in Asian Studies for the 2003-04 academic year. She was also a recipient in 2002-03. This endowed scholarship is awarded annually to students with a concentration in Chinese language and culture, a commitment to service, and financial need and is intended to encourage its recipients to cultivate and strengthen friendly relations between the people of China and the United States. It was established by Margaret Man-Hwa Wang in memory of her parents, Mr. Jung-Chun Wang and Mrs. Jui-Chin Liao Wang, who spent a lifetime supporting needy students in high schools and colleges around the island of Taiwan. It also honors the three decades of dedicated service by S. Telan Hu, OSB to Asian Studies at CSB/SJU and anticipates the celebration of her Golden Jubilee as a Benedictine sister in July 2005.

Students Accepted to Post Graduate Opportunities

(The following profiles of Asian Studies graduates are merely a sampler)

Anna Murayama ('04), the first Shogaku high school in Okinawa, Japan, student to study at CSB, has just been accepted into the graduate program at Tokyo University, Japan's most prestigious institution of higher learning.

Lia Veenendaal, who studied at Southwest and wrote a senior honors thesis on China, has just been accepted into Tufts University and Georgetown University in international relations. She wants to develop a career in U.S.-China relations.

Alumnae/i "Asia Hands": A Selected List

(The following profiles of the "Asia Hands" are merely a sampler)

Tom Kain ('05), currently teaching at Shogaku high school in Okinawa, Japan, published an article entitled “Regrettable Incidents: The Historical Foundations of Japanese Stereotypes in WWII” in the Spring 2006 issue of the Wittenberg Journal of East Asian Studies, the premier journal of American undergraduate research on East Asia. Tom is applying to graduate schools to study Japanese history.

Tom Craft ('05) and Paul Wegerson ('04) are studying Chinese language in Beijing this year in preparation for graduate programs in Asian Studies. Tom wants to become a college teacher in modern Chinese history, and Paul wants to earn an advanced degree in U.S.-China relations in preparation for entering a U.S. government career dealing with China.

James Polga ('03), who taught at Southwest University, is now on the staff of the China Center at the University of Minnesota coordinating China Center outreach programs in the Twin Cities area.

Mike Cass ('02), who taught in China through Maryknoll and is now enrolled at Saint Thomas University Law School, did an internship at a Chinese law firm in Shanghai last summer to learn about Chinese legal practices regarding patent and copyright protection. Mike is heading for a career in U.S.-China law.

Vinh Ho ('98), former co-president of the Asia Club, taught in China through Maryknoll and is now teaching in Korea. He wants to make a career of teaching in Asia.