2007 ALC Session 1 Staff Bios

Hello everyone! Thank you for your interest in our American Language and Culture (ALC) Program! I joined VIA's Stanford Program Staff in October of 2006 and this will be my first time directing ALC1. Before coming to VIA, I was a student at Stanford University, where I majored in Human Biology. After graduation, I spent a year in rural China teaching English and leading community service projects through VIA's C.J. Huang Teaching Fellowship. This past Spring I directed my first VIA program, Exploring Health Care, which brings Japanese medical students to the U.S. to learn about our health care system and related social issues. I had a wonderful experience during that program and can't wait to create new memories with all of you.

The VIA staff and the Stanford Hosts are planning an exciting summer for you. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me if you have any questions about the program or would like me to add a particular activity to the schedule. We are looking forward to seeing you this summer at Stanford!

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Kyoko Yoshida : Faculty Advisor-JAPAN (yoshida"at"hc.cc.keio.ac.jp)

Hello, everyone! My name is Kyoko Yoshida. This is my third time at the ALC as a faculty advisor. I’ve spent the last two years doing research at University of Iowa and Brown University. I am going back to teaching at Faculty of Letters at Keio University this September. The subjects of my recent focus are creative writing, contemporary fiction in English, and the Negro League Baseball.

This program will give you extraordinary opportunities to make new friends, visit places, enjoy the heavenly climate, and learn so much about both American and Asian cultures and about yourself. Be open, don’t hesitate to talk to people, ask questions, make notes, remember small details as well as big events, and all the wonderful things will follow. The faculty advisors are here to help you when necessary. I’m excited to work with you all.

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SinJae Kim : Senior Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (sinjae@stanford.edu)

Hello to all of this year's ALC 1 participants! My name is Sin Jae Kim (just call me Sin, though) and I am a junior-to-be studying International Relations, Philosophy, and French at Stanford University. I was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to New York City - where I still call home to this day - when I was four years old. I am a lover of languages, cultures, arts, sports (basketball is my first love) amongst a host of many many other things. I will spare you information about me that you all are bound to find out about me
throughout the course of this amazing program and leave you on this note: I am very excited to share this coming summer with all of you; without a doubt, we will share many unforgettable times! :)

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Christie Cho : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (christiescho@stanford.edu)

Hello! I'm Christie and I'm a rising sophomore planning to study history, most likely with a focus on Asian history. I was born in South Korea and moved to San Jose, California when I was nine years old, so my Korean has gotten a little rusty over the years. Outside of classes, I am a member of the Korean Student Association as well as a Freshman Intern at the Asian American Activities Center. In my free time, I can be found brewing the most amazing cup of organic coffee, playing the violin (solo or chamber music), or watching random old movies from the library. I'm excited to meet everybody, and plese feel free to email me about anything!

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Joe Chen: Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (khchen@stanford.edu)

Hey everyone! My name is Joe Chen and I am a graduating junior majoring in Electrical Engineering. I've studied in cities in Houston and Dallas, Texas before coming to Stanford. My interests include languages, technology, and culinary arts. In my spare time, I like to visit new restaurants or to experiment with new food ideas from my cooking classes at Stanford. I also enjoy swimming. At Stanford, I am involved in a few entrepreneurship groups including tech startup companies and a social entrepreneurship project. I am also a member of the Taiwanese Cultural Society. Next year, I plan to work in Seattle.

I look forward to meeting everyone!

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Bryan Burr: Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (beburr@stanford.edu)

Hello. How are you? My name is Bryan and I'm a rising junior. I'm originally from Texas, spent my childhood just outside of Boston, and now I live on the foggy shoals of California's central coast region. I'm currently majoring in Computer Science and, among other things, I enjoy reading all sorts of philosophy, traveling to interesting places, listening to (and creating) music, especially anything electronic. When I get the chance and the inclination, I also like drawing and creating art, as well as pursuing knowledge of all kinds. I look forward to making your acquaintance and generally having an awesome time with all of you this summer!

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Albert Wang : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (albert.wang@stanford.edu)

Georgina Blackett: Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (blackett@stanford.edu)

Hey guys, my name is Georgina. I’m a sophomore majoring in History (specifically, Middle Eastern History), and minoring in Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and maybe Spanish, too. I’m from New York City, but my dad’s from Scotland and my mother’s from the Philippines. I like learning languages, listening to other people’s music, reading, thinking about history, traveling, meeting new people, trying new foods, making lists, and drawing. I’m going to study in Oxford in the fall. While at Stanford, I’m involved in PASU (Pilipino American Student Union), SAID (Stanford Association for International Development).

I’m really looking forward to this summer, and am excited about meeting all of you! Please don’t hesitate to write me an email if you have any questions, or just want to say hi. ;)

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Artit Wangperawong : Claude Buss Fellow/Stanford Host (artitw@stanford.edu)

Hello! My name is Artit Wangperawong. I was born in California but grew up in both New York City and Minnesota coming to Stanford University. As a third-year student at Stanford, I study Mechanical Engineering, participate in the Solar Car Project, and help to organize the Stanford Thai Exchange Program. I am interested in environmental issues, particularly pollution and waste control. I enjoy meeting new people, playing basketball, listening to hip-hop music. Recently, I have been listening to a lot of Korean hip-hop. I also enjoy traveling and have visited Korea, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and Mexico. English is my first language, but I also speak Mandarin and Thai moderately.

This is my first year with ALC, and I look forward to having a great time with y'all this summer. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, please email me.

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