Class of 2019

Yiting Chung

Eric Esteban graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature and a BHS in Public Health. At Yale, Eric continued his research on classical Japanese poetry. Generous funding from the Richard U. Light Fellowship enabled him to study for a year at the Inter-University Center in Yokohama, Japan. His MA thesis was on Japanese women’s poetry and the emergence of discourse on femininity during the medieval period. In the fall, Eric will matriculate into the doctoral program at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. 

Samuel Gonzales was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received dual B.A. degrees in History and Chinese at the University of Pittsburgh in 2016. He received a Fulbright research grant and studied China’s indigenous Yi population. At Yale, Sam’s research has focused on the history of language and script reform in East Asia, specifically the Yi minority. His long-term goals are to repay his student loans and continue his studies at the doctoral level.

Xiaoqing Luo received a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Smith College. She continued her education at Yale, studying Japanese and Chinese history as well as literature with a focus on gender. After graduation she plans to work in Japan.

Mary Mulcahy received a B.A. in English and Certificate in Asian Studies from Georgetown University in 2018. At the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale, she has concentrated on an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Chinese literature and culture. With experience in Hong Kong’s education and nonprofit sectors, Mary plans to work in the public humanities field after graduation.

Yongzhi Seow

Shennan Song received a B.A. in accounting from Peking University, China in 2010. She then went to the University of Hong Kong and achieved an M.A. in finance in 2012. In Hong Kong she worked as an art instructor for five years. At Yale, Shennan specialized in classical Chinese poetry and art. After graduation she plans to be a freelance artist, doing painting and writing poetry.

Bowen Wang received his B.A. in English and Japanese from Williams College in 2017. At Yale, Bowen specialized in classical Chinese literature and literary theories. He plans to write novels after graduation.

Qin Yang received his B.S. from Haverford College with double majors in History and Computer Science in 2017. At Yale, he studied transnational history in early modern and modern East Asia and wrote his thesis on the transmission of sweet potatoes thereinto. He received a Light Fellowship for summer language study in Hakodate, Japan in 2018. After Yale, Qin plans to pursue further graduate studies.

Kiki Tianqi Zhao received a B.A. from Communication University of China and an M.S. from Boston University. Before coming to Yale, she was a reporter for the New York Times in Beijing. At Yale, she has focused her studies on Chinese history. After graduation, she plans to be a freelance writer.

Herman Zheng