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Undergraduate Student Awards
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures would like to recognize the accomplishments of our undergraduate students. A few are mentioned below:
- James J. Y. Liu Prize for Distinguished Undergraduate Work in Asian Languages and Cultures
- EALC Departmental Prize awarded to an undergraduate student who has written an outstanding essay on the literature or culture of China, Japan, or Korea.
- 2024: Zackery Paul Edwards
- 2023: Adam Cohen; Darren Hall
- 2022: Emily Yu Wan; Vivian Jiahui Zhu
- 2021: Christopher Rielage; Enshia Li
- 2020: Won-Gi Jung; Christopher Rielage
- 2019: Linda Zhou
- 2018: Lilian Kong; Kelsey Reardon
- 2017: Kelsey Reardon
- 2016: Austin Clapp
- 2015: Anthony Ding; Sarah Elizabeth Simmons
- EALC Departmental Prize awarded to an undergraduate student who has written an outstanding essay on the literature or culture of China, Japan, or Korea.
- Kung Yi Kao Prize for Outstanding Progress in the Study of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Language
- EALC Departmental Prize awarded to an outstanding undergraduate in an Asian Language Study.
- 2024: Ashton Berg (Korean Language); Paolo Tayag (Japanese Language); Raina Nelson (Chinese Language)
- 2023: Darren Hall (Korean Language); Brandon Kenery (Japanese Language); Vivian Jiahui Zhu (Chinese Language)
- 2022: Anna Chang (Korean Language); Benjamin Korngiebel (Chinese Language); Bronson Vanderjack (Japanese Language)
- 2021: Kiara Harding (Japanese Language); Araya Sornwanee (Chinese Language)
- 2020: Kiara Harding (Japanese Language); Megan Faircloth (Korean Language)
- 2019: Shadi Barhoumi (Chinese Language); Fei Fang (Japanese Language)
- 2018: Jesse Burkett (Japanese Language); Katharina Brown (Chinese Language); Isabella Cai (Chinese Language)
- 2017: Emily Franklin (Japanese Language)
- 2016: Herman Chau (Japanese Language); Lilian Kong (Chinese Language); Steven Pham (Japanese Language)
- 2015: Joshua Scrivner (Japanese Language); Laura Conigliaro (Chinese Language)
- EALC Departmental Prize awarded to an outstanding undergraduate in an Asian Language Study.
- Heidi Chou Fund Award
- Funding awarded to undergraduate students for the purpose of enhancing their Chinese language skills.
- 2024: Vardhan Agrawal; Colin Aponte; Christina Cheng; Rani Chor; Jenny Duan; Blake Jaffe; Rosemary Jiang; Adri Kornfein; Frederick Lin; Tyler Newman; Lilly Salus; Elena Shropshire; Sasin Thamakaison; Samuel Walters
- 2023: Tyler Abernethy; Michael Alisky; Matias Ysidro; Lorenzo Benitez; Wyatt Johnson; Camille Luong; Stella Meier; Deven Reddy; Max Solberg
- 2022: Michael Alisky; Daniel Gao; Kai Kato; Camille Luong; Noah Salazar; Eli Shi
- 2021: Anna Chang; James Dwyer; Faith Koh; Ian Sills
- 2020: Clare Phelps
- 2019: Christine Xue; Lyndon DeFoe; Alexis Kuppersmith; Jaymi McNabb; Cole McFaul; Araya Sornwarnee; Rachel Gardner; Michelle Huang; Barry Cheung; Christopher Rielage; Emma Sylvester Bowers
- 2018: Cora Cliburn; Aayan Das; Carling Suzanne Hank; Jiyoung Jeong; Renata Starbird Lim; Adrian Liu; Emily Ruan; Liliana Taylor
- Funding awarded to undergraduate students for the purpose of enhancing their Chinese language skills.
- Korea Program Prize for Writing in Korean Studies
- Center for East Asian Studies and Korea Program Prize awarded to a student who has written an outstanding essay, term paper, or thesis in any discipline within the area of Korean studies, broadly defined.
- 2020: Won-Gi Jung
- Center for East Asian Studies and Korea Program Prize awarded to a student who has written an outstanding essay, term paper, or thesis in any discipline within the area of Korean studies, broadly defined.
- Phi Beta Kappa
- The Phi Beta Kappa Society selects students with high academic achievement who have successfully taken classes demonstrating a breadth of engagement across the arts and humanities; the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics; and the social sciences.
- 2024: Nicolas Garcia
- 2023: Jacqueline Fong; Darren Hall; Patin Inkaew; Brandon Kenery; Jenna Wang; Katherine Yoon; Vivian Jiahui Zhu
- 2022: Didier Natalizi Baldi; Ken Hong; Christina Knight
- 2021: Stephanie Shim; Emily Wan; Kenneth Wang; Joceline Yu
- 2020: Won-Gi Jung; Kent Vainio
- 2019: Rose Adams
- The Phi Beta Kappa Society selects students with high academic achievement who have successfully taken classes demonstrating a breadth of engagement across the arts and humanities; the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics; and the social sciences.
- Russell A. Berman Award for Excellence in an Introductory Seminar
- This award recognizes undergraduates with exemplary student projects in Introductory Seminars (IntroSems) and celebrates the diverse and innovative learning experiences across all IntroSem courses.
- 2020: Vivian Jiahui Zhu ("Culturally Relative Fandoms: Western v. Chinese Reactions to K-pop Scandals" in Korea 101N with Prof. Dafna Zur)
- This award recognizes undergraduates with exemplary student projects in Introductory Seminars (IntroSems) and celebrates the diverse and innovative learning experiences across all IntroSem courses.
- Schwarzman Scholarship
- The Schwarzman Scholarship is a one-year, fully funded graduate fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in global affairs at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The selective program is also designed to prepare scholars to be future leaders who understand China's role in global affairs and will serve as a bridge between the country and the rest of the world.
- 2025-26: Bryan Monge Serrano
- The Schwarzman Scholarship is a one-year, fully funded graduate fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in global affairs at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The selective program is also designed to prepare scholars to be future leaders who understand China's role in global affairs and will serve as a bridge between the country and the rest of the world.
- Humanities Center Fellowship
- The Humanities Center is pleased to announce the Hume Honors Fellowships. In the stimulating scholarly environment of the Humanities Center, undergraduate fellows benefit from a year-long association as a cohort, as well as with graduate students and faculty fellows in residence.
- 2023: Vivian Jiahui Zhu
- 2022: Emily Yu Wan
- 2021: Megan Faircloth
- 2020: Won-Gi Jung
- The Humanities Center is pleased to announce the Hume Honors Fellowships. In the stimulating scholarly environment of the Humanities Center, undergraduate fellows benefit from a year-long association as a cohort, as well as with graduate students and faculty fellows in residence.
- Hoefer Prize
- The Hoefer Prize recognizes outstanding work produced in Writing in the Major (WIM) courses.
- 2022: Do-Hyung Kim (Korea 120 with Prof. Dafna Zur)
- 2020: Won-Gi Jung (Korea 120 with Prof. Dafna Zur)
- 2015: Laura Figueroa (Korea 120 with Prof. Dafna Zur)
- The Hoefer Prize recognizes outstanding work produced in Writing in the Major (WIM) courses.
- Bachelor's Degree with Distinction
- In recognition of high scholastic attainment, the university awards the Bachelor’s Degree with Distinction. This honor is awarded to the top 15% of the graduating class based on cumulative grade point averages calculated at the end of Winter Quarter.
- 2023: Darren Hall
- 2023: Vivian Jiahui Zhu
- 2022: Didier Natalizi Baldi; Enshia Ivy Li; Emily Yu Wan
- 2021: Stephanie Shim
- In recognition of high scholastic attainment, the university awards the Bachelor’s Degree with Distinction. This honor is awarded to the top 15% of the graduating class based on cumulative grade point averages calculated at the end of Winter Quarter.
- Robert M. Golden Medals for Excellence in the Humanities and Creative Arts
- Golden Medals are awarded to the top 10 percent of honors theses completed each year, distinguishing theses in the humanities or creative projects in the arts.
- 2024: Zackery Edwards
- Golden Medals are awarded to the top 10 percent of honors theses completed each year, distinguishing theses in the humanities or creative projects in the arts.