Ben Whaley, B.A. in Japanese '07

"At the risk of sounding schmaltzy, I likely would not be the learner nor teacher that I am today without the EALC Department. I had a wonderful time studying Japanese in the then-Department of Asian Languages. So much so that I moonlighted as a department assistant sorting mail and restocking the copy machine during my time there. Thanks to Stanford, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad in the Bing Overseas Studies Program (Kyoto-SCTI) and, after graduation, to teach English at a medical school in Shikoku through departmental connections. I have so many fond memories from classes with Professors Carter, Reichert, and Matsumoto, as well as studying Japanese language with Nakamura Sensei and Kubo-Lowdermilk Sensei. I credit the department with instilling in me a passion for studying Japanese language, literature, and culture, as well as introducing me to manga and pop culture-related topics and texts that I continue to research to this day. Being able to complete a senior honors thesis under the supervision of Professor Reichert was also a fantastic experience and a great primer for the graduate school theses I would write in the future."

- Ben Whaley, B.A. in Japanese '07

Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of Calgary

Read More from Ben Whaley Here