FLAS Fellowships

FLAS Fellows 2020-21

Alvin Bui (He/Him, Chinese)

Alvin Bui is a Ph.D. student of modern Southeast and East Asian History in the Department of History. He recently received the 2020 Thomas M. Power Endowed Prize Fund for Excellence in History for Graduate Research Papers and 2020-2021 Vietnam Studies Group Graduate Essay Prize.

Studying Chinese under the auspices of an Academic Year FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center is essential to helping him contextualize the experiences of the ethnic Chinese in the Republic of Vietnam to their interactions with both the RVN state and the Republic of China/Taiwan. He spent the majority of his post-baccalaureate life living and working in various roles in Vietnam. He was previously awarded two summer FLAS Fellowships, one from UW’s Center for Global Studies and the other from UCLA’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

Diana Davidson (She/They, Japanese)

Diana Davidson is a third-year undergraduate double majoring in Japanese and linguistics. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, code-switching, bi/multilingualism and modern Japanese anthropology. Thanks to her FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center, she is able to advance both her interests in linguistics and knowledge of Japanese.

Diana aims to use their knowledge of Japanese to eventually pursue linguistics research involving Japanese speakers both in and outside of Japan. They hope to attend university in Japan for a master’s degree and study the linguistic behaviors of multilingual communities in Japan. Through FLAS, Diana can take on a multidisciplinary approach to learning about Japanese language, culture, and modern anthropology. They are especially thankful to receive this fellowship in the midst of the global pandemic.

Jessica Ferauge (They/Them, Japanese)

Jessica Ferauge is a second year MA student in the Japan Studies Program at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Their primary focus is minority studies, especially LGBTQ+ studies. They are fascinated how an outwardly homogeneous society like Japan can hold so much variety.

Born in Seattle and raised in France, they grew bilingual, binational, and bicultural. During middle school, they lived in Tokyo for a year and a half. This sparked a deep passion for Japan and the Japanese language, which they eventually followed by returning to their Seattle roots and pursuing an MA at the University of Washington. The FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center has allowed them to continue studying Japanese at a high enough level to incorporate Japanese language works into their studies. Following graduation, they hope to follow their second passion, writing, and start a career in publishing or translation.

Alan Li (He/Him, Chinese)

Alan Li is working towards a BS in psychology and a BA in Chinese language studies. His areas of interest include cultural psychology, linguistics and US-China relations. He is also planning to participate in a study abroad program in Taiwan in 2021 to further develop his language skills and cultural understanding of the region.

The FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center has allowed Alan to freely explore his interest in the East Asian region with a specific goal of understanding Chinese culture and its role on the international stage. Through intensive studies of the Chinese language and its regional policies, Alan wishes to pursue a career in the US government relevant to his interests and contribute his insights on a more productive relationship between the United States and China.

Ian Oates (He/Him, Korean)

Ian Oates is a second-year MA student in the Henry M. Jackson School’s Korea Studies program. His research focuses on rural development in 1960s South Korea and the complex political economic factors therein. Ian’s additional research interests include Cold War-era development in East Asia, how the Cold War has influenced contemporary sociopolitical and economic circumstances worldwide, and how the United States may learn from its foreign policy experiences when addressing the domestic sphere.

The FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center allows Ian to further expand his Korean language skills while dedicating himself to additional coursework on the East Asian region. Alongside scholastic research and language learning, the FLAS Fellowship is affording Ian the ability to undertake professional coursework in diplomacy with the Jackson School. With the invaluable training afforded by the generosity of the FLAS Fellowship, Ian hopes to pursue a career in diplomacy and international relations through either the Department of State or another internationally oriented institution.

Eliyah Omar (He/Him, Japanese)

Eliyah is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Anthropology’s Sociocultural Anthropology PhD program. His primary research focus is on modern dynamics of transnational popular culture exchange, with Japan being his main area of interest.

Japan’s popular culture has had considerable global influence. Eliyah plans to research recent developments in Japan’s pop-cultural landscape with regard to shifts in patterns of production and consumption, means of communication and dissemination, and international factors. Conducting international research requires a high level of language proficiency and regional knowledge, and thanks to the FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center, Eliyah is provided the necessary funding to continue developing his Japanese language capabilities and academic skill set. In the future Eliyah hopes to contribute to intercultural understanding, appreciation, and respect through a career in anthropological research and professorship.

Karianna Tripp (She/Her, Korean)

Karianna (Kari) is a third-year undergraduate working towards a double major in Korean and Linguistics. Having lived in Korea when she was younger, the culture has always excited her and made her feel at home. Kari aims to use the FLAS Fellowship from the East Asia Center to learn more about Korean language, culture and society so she can work to support Korean students in navigating the pressures of the school system, which could ultimately lower the teen suicide rate.