I graduated from FIU with my Bachelor’s in Asian Studies in 2015. I’ve since gone on to work with the tour operator “Inside Japan Tours,” where I work as a travel consultant. I build custom trips for clients looking to go to Japan and it’s tremendously rewarding. It’s a B Corp-certified company and it is absolutely amazing. They are sending me on my first business trip to Japan this July, I haven’t been to the country since 2016, so I’m very excited. It’s a fantastic job that I absolutely would not have been able to get without my education from FIU. I love the Asian Studies Program so much. Pursuing my Bachelor's was one of the happiest and most fulfilling parts of my life so far. In 2022, I graduated with my Master's in Hospitality Management from FIU as well. The FIU community is so special!Allison Darrach
Alumni Spotlight
Brian De Aguiar is a recent Asian Studies M.A. graduate who has had the opportunity to travel to Japan under the JET program. He is currently living in Tajima, Fukushima, a rural town of less than 10,000. Brian is continuing his research while teaching English in Japan! Here is a picture of Brian in front of Tsuruga Castle, Fukushima, Japan.
Notable Asian Studies Alumni | Recent Highlights
Shannon Feil (M.A. 2023) was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Education at Southern Wesleyan University. She will be focusing on curriculum development in Asian Studies.
Darius Barnes (M.A. 2022) was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Japanese History at the University of Illinois.
Phillip Guerreiro (M.A. 2018) successfully defended his dissertation and graduated with a Ph.D. in International Relations from FIU in the Spring 2023. Phillip received the Dissertation Year Fellowship to support his research on China’s hydropower development.
Ivan Jiménez (M.A. 2022) was accepted into the Ph.D. program in Politics and International Relations at FIU. He received the National Bureau Research Institute award to study Mandarin at the National Taiwan University Intensive Chinese Language Program in Taipei.
Ignacio Jimeno (M.A. 2015) accepted an offer in August 2023 to become a full-time English teacher in Japan, especially licensed for high school teaching on Iki Island, after completing a 5-year contract with the JET Program in Nagasaki prefecture on Hirado Island.
Ritu Krishna (M.A. 2022) was hired as Anti-Trafficking Task Force Intern for the International Rescue Committee in Seattle.
Rachel Levine (M.A. 2019) is a Ph.D. Candidate in East Asian Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was awarded the Fulbright Dissertation Scholarship to research in Japan.
Marcela López Bravo (M.A. 2016) earned her Ph.D. in International Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. She is the Deputy Director of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.
Michaela Prostak (M.A. 2018) is a Ph.D. student in Religious Studies at Brown University. Michaela is currently studying at a special Classical Japanese/Kanbun summer program organized by Princeton University in Venice, Italy.
Elisa Rómulo Borges (M.A. 2016) is pursuing a Ph.D. in Global and Sociocultural Studies at FIU, researching the Japanese/Okinawan descendants in Cuba. She is a recipient of the prestigious Andrew W.Mellon Foundation Fellowship.
Nanda Singh (M.A. 2019) is working as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) for the JET Program, teaching English at a local school in Fukuoka, Japan.
Yiqin Sun (M.A. 2018) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Philosophy at Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou, China. Her research focuses on Chinese art and aesthetics.
Randall Tallent (M.A. 2016) is a J.D. Candidate and Law Aide at Arizona State University studying international law and policy. He is working as an intern in Timor-Leste, focusing on legal research, policy development, and data protection in Asia.
Ashley VeAngela (M.A. 2015) is living and studying in Seoul, South Korea, working as an English language Professor at Joonbu University.