Alumni Spotlights

Welcome to Alumni Spotlights! See Alumni stories below: click on each one for more information.

Li Zhi Liao stands in front of the ocean at sunset.

Li Zhi Liao, '17

Meet Li Zhi Liao, class of 2017. Li has combined her love of Chinese and mathematics as a financial analyst, and shares how majoring in Chinese (or any language) is a major asset in any career. Read More

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Tammy Tang

Overall, majoring in Chinese provided many opportunities for me to serve communities, whether abroad or domestic, through education by overcoming language and cultural barriers. Read More

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Peng Sha

As global companies are all looking into the Japan market, the Japanese will be a huge plus for any job! Read More

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J Pilkerton

Personally, I would strongly advise anyone applying for this job to have some knowledge of Japanese culture to ease the process of moving here. A great place to start would be to familiarize oneself with both Japanese business culture and societal culture. Read More

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Jiayi Yang

I got this job right after college. I have quite a lot of international students who came from China, learning the Chinese political and historical background allows me to open up different conversational topics with my Chinese student as ice breakers. Read More

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Liangying Li

Being able to speak foreign languages has always been a very competitive tool to have in my skill set especially in the STEM field. Read More

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Tristen Thalhuber

I distinctly remember during every single one of my post-grad interviews, the interviewers were always interested in my Chinese major. It is definitely a major that will stand out to any employer. Read More

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Karen Xu

Hello! I'm Karen Xu, and I graduated from UC Davis in 2017 with degrees in Chinese, English, and Economics, with a minor in history. It sounds like an awful mouthful, I know, but it's been a ton of fun! Read More

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Allyson Camino

Never did I imagine how much of an impact my Chinese courses and the EALC department would have on my college experience, let alone how much it would change my future goals and life! Read More

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Anwei Yu

Coming to UC Davis in 2013, I did not know I was going to embark on a journey with the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. I came in as a freshman majoring in International Relations. Read More

Kathryn Watanabe

Kathryn Watanabe

Joining the EALC department was the best choice I made here at Davis, and there are so many wonderful opportunities to take advantage of! Best of luck! Read More

Qinger Kitty Liang

Qinger Kitty Liang

As for her life after Davis, she was a truck driver, hauling things all over the country for about a year. Lots of thrilling stories. After that, she plunged into the movie business... Read More

Ashton Russo

Ashton Russo

Although Chinese was a lot of hard work, it was a pleasure to learn and has made me want to minor in the language throughout the next year. Read More

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Ying Bei Qi

The Chinese Major Program has brought about a curiosity and inspired me to pursue educational goals outside the US. I hope that others will find Chinese as an inspiration as well. It is definitely worth pursuing. Read More

Li Chen

Li Chen

I greatly appreciate the generous help and inspiration from the UC Davis EALC Department. Read More

Nathaniel Clemens

Nathaniel Clemens

The Chinese program at UC Davis has been a huge part of my college experience, and I’ll always be grateful for the time I’ve spent learning Chinese and exploring China. Read More

Yuma Sakakura

Yuma Sakakura

The teachers are always very enthusiastic and encouraging, and the classes are challenging and relatively fast-paced but are also fun and sometimes laidback. Also, the other students taking Chinese are super friendly and are willing to help each other out. I am excited and looking forward to taking more Chinese classes next quarter! Read More

Yachna Chumber

Yachna Chumber

My decision to learn Chinese arose during my sophomore year at college, as a means of fulfilling the 2 years of a foreign language required for the International Relations major. My decision to learn Chinese, specifically, was dependent on my desire to challenge myself, due to the fact that I had no prior knowledge of the language whatsoever. Read More

Julian Enis

Julian Enis

Taking Chinese at UC Davis has been a wonderful opportunity to learn not only about the Chinese language in both formal and informal contexts, but also about the interesting mix of ancient culture, modernism, and globalization that describes China today. The Chinese education I have received here has significance far beyond the classroom, and I hope that in my future professional pursuits that I can fully do it justice.

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Stephanie Landes

Stephanie Landes

Overall I believe Davis has one of the best Chinese programs in America and I love being a Chinese major because I take classes that challenge and excite me every day. Read More

Joey Gribble

Joey Gribble

I plan to use the knowledge that I have attained here at UC Davis in my future to not only travel to China, but hopefully get a job relating to my interest in the Chinese language.

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Patrick Laboon

Patrick Laboon

The Chinese Program at UC Davis is fantastic. I really can't stress this enough. If you are apprehensive about studying Chinese, put your fears and doubts aside. You can do it, and you will love it. Read More

Corey Wood

Corey Wood

My Chinese language classes without a doubt required the most effort and were the most challenging, however, they have prepared me for a lifetime of language learning and a potential career using the language and knowledge I learned at UC Davis.

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Elizabeth Loudon

Elizabeth Loudon

On a whim I decided to start studying Chinese, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made at UC Davis. If you are interested in studying Chinese, UC Davis is the place to start!

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Holly Zhao

Holly Zhao

The Chinese program at UC Davis taught me not only how to read and write Chinese, it inspired me to pursue a Chinese double major and ultimately, helped bring me to China where I have been studying and working for the past two years. Read More

Monica Zhang

Monica Zhang

UC Davis and the Chinese major are the two best choices I made during my college career. Read More

Mia Huston-Carico

Mia Huston-Carico

I have never been as motivated to study any subject as much as I did Japanese, and I don’t think I ever will be. Learning material for tests was never a chore, because I found almost all aspects of the program, from language to culture to history, truly amazing and eye-opening. Read More

Richard Julian

Richard Julian

As a non-heritage speaker with little exposure to Chinese culture and language previous to attending college, I can honestly say that taking Chinese courses has definitely broadened my views about China and also allowed me a look into a world I had no clue existed. Read More

Arisa Hiroi

Arisa Hiroi

My experience in the Japanese program has played a huge role in making me who I am today, and I am very grateful for it. Read More