Peer Mentor
The Peer Mentor of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures is an upper-level undergraduate majoring in East Asian Studies and can provide advice from a student perspective.
Contact the Peer Mentor if you are a prospective or current student pursuing the major or minor and have any questions about the program.
Emily Schwab
Major: East Asian Studies
Year: Class of 2026
Email: eschwab [at] stanford.edu (eschwab[at]stanford[dot]edu)
Hello! My name is Emily Schwab, and I am a senior majoring in East Asian Studies and minoring in Modern Languages (for Korean and German). I'm also a first-year coterm student in the Center for East Asian Studies. Although I grew up in Wisconsin, my family now lives in Switzerland. I originally applied to Stanford intending to major in East Asian Studies, and the program has proven to be as amazing and enriching as I had hoped. I have had the opportunity to do summer internships in Seoul, South Korea with the CJ Cultural Foundation and in Nisshin, Japan with Hakusan Co., Ltd. Additionally, I have done study abroad programs in both South Korea and Japan. This year, I'll be writing my thesis comparing tattoo culture in South Korea and Japan in terms of the social perceptions and historical roots. Outside of the department, you can see me dance in Common Origins, Legacy, and Stanford XTRM (K-pop dance) or working out at AOERC.
Feel free to ask questions about my interest in East Asian Studies, studying abroad in East Asia, taking multiple languages in the same quarter, what it's like to major/minor in EALC, what EALC events are happening in the department (affiliated talks and conferences, socials, etc.), and anything else!