2009 ALC Session 2 Staff Bios
Kazutoh Ishida, Program Director
Brian Wang, Senior Claude Buss Fellow / Senior Stanford Host
Mia Arreola, Claude Buss Fellow / Stanford Host
John Kaniaupio, Claude Buss Fellow / Stanford Host
Jane Lin, Claude Buss Fellow / Stanford Host
Anh Nguyet, Claude Buss Fellow / Stanford Host
Christian Ollano, Claude Buss Fellow / Stanford Host
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Kazutoh Ishida: Program Director (
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Hello everyone! Thank you for your interest in our American Language
and Culture (ALC) Program. I was an ALC participant myself in 1991 and
am excited to be involved again, this time as the Program Director. My
participation in ALC not only enabled me to learn about the diverse
culture of the United States, but it also broadened my perspective about
Asia, including my home country Japan. The program also enabled me to
develop life-long lasting friendship. I hope your participation in our
program will also give you an opportunity to change the way you view the
world and also develop friendship which you can treasure for life.
In my spare time I like to listen to music, watch movies and travel.
The staff and the Fellow Stanford Hosts are planning an exciting summer
for you and we are looking forward to seeing you this summer at
Stanford!
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Brian Wang : Senior Claude Buss Fellow/ Senior Stanford Host (
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Howdy everyone! I'm Brian Wang, a rising senior here at Stanford
University majoring in Electrical Engineering and a self-described
bon-vivant, hapless romantic, and resident idealist. As a host for an
absolutely out-of-this-world ALC2 2007 session, I can guarantee that
you're in for an incredibly fun, memorable, and crazy four weeks that
you'll remember for a long, long time. This year I am very honored and
excited to be returning as the senior host, and am truly VERY, VERY
EXCITED to meet you all very soon!
So... a bit about myself follows. I was born 王小為 in Zhengzhou, China,
but have been raised since the age of six in the American Heartland and
South. As such, I can speak Mandarin Chinese (but don't laugh at my
"mainlander" accent!), a variety of American accents (so yes, I can do
a pretty genuine Southern accent), a little French, and what little
Japanese I have learned since taking courses here at Stanford. So
along with some of my fellow hosts, I am also endlessly fascinated with
other languages, traditions, and cultures - as a matter of fact, can
anyone from the Kansai Region this year teach me some Kansai-ben? I'd
love to learn.
In my spare time I can usually be found enjoying good literature, film,
all sorts of music, mentoring, reading/editing Wikipedia, and a rousing
round of often pointless intellectual debate with good friends. I
enjoy a rather eclectic set of interests, so feel free to come and talk
to me endlessly about the most random things! I also love being
outdoors, and absolutely adore running around campus and hiking around
in the mountains. Last but not least, I am an avid follower of
European football and a huge fan of Chelsea F.C. (Blue is the Colour
baby!)
Looking forward to seeing and talking with all of you SOON!
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Mia Arreola : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (
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Hi all! My name is Mia Arreola and I am
a recent 2009 graduate from Stanford who majored in Human Biology with
a concentration in Global Health Development. I hope that in the future
I will work to improve public health in some way.
I am originally from Rancho Cucamonga, a town outside
of Los Angeles in southern California. I have a big immediate family -
a dad and stepmom, one sister, one older brother, two baby brothers,
and an adorable American Eskimo puppy who I named Peja. I am half
Mexican and half Korean and I really enjoy meeting people from
different backgrounds and learning about other cultures.
I have done a bit of traveling these past four years
(Mexico, Honduras, Spain, Turkey, Croatia, various countries in Asia)
so feel free to ask me about crazy stories from my travels! I
absolutely love basketball, both watching and playing, and I really
enjoy playing volleyball and other sports as well. I love music,
movies, just hanging out with friends, and FOOD! I am really excited to
meet you all very soon and get the ALC program started - we are going
to have a blast!
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John Kaniaupio : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (
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Hello everyone. My name is John Kaniaupio, and I'm REALLY excited
to get to know all of you and get this program started. I'm finishing
up my junior year at Stanford and hope to major in Japanese and
possibly Economics as well. I was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii, but moved to
Kirkland, Washington when I was around 10, and from there moved here to
go to school.
In general, I have a deep interest in
foreign languages. I can't quite put my finger on where the interest
came from, but since middle school when I first started learning
Spanish, language, and, more importantly, its place in different
cultural contexts has greatly intrigued me. After Spanish, I moved on
to Japanese, and after taking a short trip to Japan, became even more
engrossed in the culture and lead me to this awesome program. In
additon to my zeal for language, I generally just love to meet new
people. So please, don't be a stranger :)
When I'm not learning language (yes, I do try to
teach myself on my own ... I know I'm a big nerd ;D), I like to
hang out with friends (or anyone willing to hang out with me for that
matter), watch movies, play video games, listen to music (I like pretty
much everything), and generally just like having fun (... who doesn't).
My biggest hobby is learning different styles of dance and I'd have to
say that my most favorite at the moment is hip hop, though it's a
pretty broad category in itself. If anyone is a dancer out there,
you've got to show me your moves.
Anyway, once again I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of you. Here's to a great summer!
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Jane Lin : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (
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Hey everyone! My name is Jane Lin and I'm a rising sophomore at
Stanford thinking of majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in
Chinese. I'm really interested in architectural design and languages. I
don't really know how these two will fit together, but I'll find a way
to make sense of it. I'm originally from New York City and really
really love the fast-paced environment of the city!
I'm very eager to learn about different cultures and languages. It
really gives me a sense of how people have a different attitude towards
the same things. In my spare time, I try to catch myself up with movies
that I haven't seen, play sports, hang out with friends, and just
chill. I'm really looking to this summer, meeting and learning from
everyone!
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Anh Nguyet : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host
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Greetings and salutations! My name is Anh Nguyet Vu, and I am a rising
junior and Human Biology major here at Stanford. I’m a current resident
of Southern California, but I originally came to the U.S. as an
immigrant from Vietnam when I was eight years old. In my free time I
love to read mostly science fiction, play tennis, volunteer for various
causes, take photos, write poetry and creative fiction (some of which
is not all that good, admittedly), and watch movies and make fun videos
with friends. I also like to do “experimental baking,” often with
dubious results...
I appreciate many different things about
the different parts of Asia. I follow some anime, my biggest love being
the old classic Doraemon series that first led me to become fascinated
with Japanese culture. And when it comes to Chinese culture, I adore
Stephen Chow movies even if I might not get all the jokes lost in
translation. I am definitely looking for more people and things to
appreciate, so I’m very much excited about the start of the ALC
program. In the meanwhile, may the Force be with you all!
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Christian Ollano : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host
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Greeting ALC participants! My name is Christian
Ollano, and I am a rising sophomore here at Stanford contemplating on a
major in Architectural Design and/or Science, Technology and Society. I
was born in the Philippines and moved here to the United States when I
was four years old, so I basically spent almost all my childhood
growing up in the America. I have great interest in studying foreign
cultures, and am looking forward to interacting with everyone in the
ALC program. I am currently taking Japanese and have fallen in love
with both the language and the cultural traditions, especially having
seen the drama Hana Yori Dango! Here at Stanford, I am heavily involved
with the Pilipino American Student Union, striving to help out the
Filipino community through workshops, event planning, and community
service. I am also a part of ASES, the Asia-Pacific Student
Entrepreneurship Society, which aims to provide opportunities for
students with entrepreneurial prospects and interests with an Asian
twist. My time here at Stanford, and America, is something I truly
cherish, and I hope to share my knowledge and experiences with everyone
in the program.
In addition to my
academics, I have a passion for a number of interests and hobbies. I am
currently a tenor for Testimony A Cappella because I love to sing.
Singing might actually be a side job for me in the future as I do it
almost every chance I can get. I love the arts, performance and
creative, and am an avid audience member for a number of Stanford's
arts events and concerts. Also, I am a member of Stanford Wushu, which
has helped me develop discipline and a respect for martial arts.
I am looking forward to
meeting everyone during the summer, exchanging cultural traditions, and
learning from all of your amazing backgrounds and experiences.
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