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Alumni Highlights

Stephanie Asi (Class of 2021)

Stephanie Asi

Initially, I was a major in a different discipline. I had always been interested in Japanese language and culture, so I took Professor Dumas and her passion for Japan and deep dive into various “taboo” topics like the yakuza and otaku culture reminded me of why I fell in love with Japan in the first place.

Thanks to Professor Dumas, I could study abroad in Japan and enroll in a school called Aoyama Gakuin. During my study abroad, I took as many courses as I could on Japanese history, culture, politics, literature and even war memory. Each one just fueled my curiosity and drive to learn more, so I ended up traveling all around Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa in the hopes of learning history from the locals and truly getting a glimpse of how the people lived there. (I was especially interested in the Ainu and the Ryukyu people). By the time I returned from Japan – I immediately switched into Asian studies so I could round out my knowledge more by studying the regions around Japan.

I especially enjoyed Dr. Eun Ah Cho’s course on Korean Civilization and Dr. Jocelyn Killmer’s ASIAN-101. Even though I love Japan, I felt that so much attention is given to China and Japan but not so much in other countries in Asia. Also, I’m Asian American with Chinese /Filipino roots but my family rarely speaks about any of this or any of our customs in general. 

Topics on war memory and “comfort women” really helped me to learn more about the time period that intersected with my own family history. Also, Dr. Killmer’s segments on food and prompts asking us to explore other Asian ethnicities really helped me to learn more about myself. In addition, being Dr. Killmer’s student assistant helped me develop a kinship with fellow classmates that I had never had before. It was an eye-opening experience to read and comment on fellow Asian American peers on their own experiences growing up, handing racial microaggressions, and other random quirky things that I used to think made me weird in the eyes of others.

Overall, Asian Studies both allowed me to explore my love for/fascination of Japan and open my eyes to Korea, India, and Southeast Asia, as well as led me into my own path of self-discovery and acceptance.