Student Profiles

Carter, Thomas

Delgado, Michelle

Hello, my name is Michelle Yvonne Delgado. I am currently a sophomore at Susquehanna University, with a major in international studies focusing on diplomacy and a minor in Asian studies. I have always had an interest in Asian culture and history. While in high school I was an exchange student to Japan for 10 days, which sparked my interest in studying Asia, and therefore my Asian studies minor. I took Japanese for a year and a half through Susquehanna’s exchange program with Bucknell University. This has helped me prepare for my study away program to Japan next fall. I have also taken many Asian history courses, which have strengthened my knowledge in the area.

By being an Asian studies minor student, I’ve had the great opportunity of meeting the Asian exchange students, and becoming a conversation partner to them. As an English conservation partner, I have helped the students master the English language. My ability to speak some Japanese helps when the students have difficulty interpreting some English words, and I can translate for them. I have also benefited from being a conversation partner because I have learned so much about the Japanese culture that I would never have learned in a textbook. I have been fortunate to form great friendships with these students, which will be a great asset to me when I travel to Japan. When I study abroad in Japan next fall, I hope to visit many of them. Through this minor, I have had the opportunity to participate in many events on campus. We have an Asian film festival, as well as gatherings where we make dumplings and other fun foods from China.

With my major in international studies and with an Asian studies minor, I would like to work with the U.S. government agencies related to Asia (such as our embassy in Japan). Another area I would be interested in joining is the JET program which would enable me to teach English in Japan.

On a personal note, I am an avid swimmer. I have been swimming competitively for 10years and am a member of the Susquehanna University swim team. I once competed in an international open water 6.5 km race in Istanbul, Turkey, where I swam across the Bosphorus Strait. That and winning the Landmark Conference Championships for my college have been the highlights of my swimming career. I am a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and Alpha Lambda Delta, an academic honor society. I have been on the dean’s list of my university. I also work as a lifeguard in the summer and during my school breaks.

Lapitan, Esther

lapitan@susqu.edu

Lu, Linda

lux@susqu.edu

Linda Lu is an undergraduate student in the Sigmund Weis School of Business with an emphasis on marketing. She is also working on public relations minor. Linda has a deep passion for the arts and for East Asian studies in general. Her Taiwanese parents immigrated to the states around the 1980s, and have always stressed the importance of learning Chinese to her and her two brothers. In the summer of 2011, she spent three weeks travelling around Taiwan, visiting family, appreciating the mountainous vistas, and even toured National Chengchi University, hoping to study in Taiwan someday. Linda continues her Chinese languages studies here and tries to take as many Asian-oriented courses as possible.

Before Susquehanna University, Linda had received an intensive education in visual arts at one of New York City's most prestigious specialized high schools, Fiorello H. Laguardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts, which has furthered her love for the arts. Currently, she is a graphic design artist for a local fine arts gallery, The Post & Lintel, and continues to paint and sculpt whenever she can. By studying different fields, Linda hopes to create more options and broaden her horizons. She also has a vision of starting an interior decorating firm one day.

Sherman, Kristina

shermank@susqu.edu

Kristina Sherman is a history-secondary education student in Susquehanna’s Class of 2014 with Asian studies and political science minors. Her main focus is on Asian-American history and immigration, and she hopes to conduct research regarding the emergence and current status of Asian-American ethnic enclaves within the California Bay Area where she grew up. She is currently one of the public relations chairs of Susquehanna’s Student Activities Committee, and she enjoys raising goldfish in her spare time.

Showalter, Justin

Justin Showalter showalter@susqu.edu

Justin Showalter is currently a specialist in the U.S. Army. He is a history major at Susquehanna University and is an Asian Studies minor. He studies American and Chinese history as well as the Chinese language and the ancient and early 2oth-century literature and poetry of China. His extra-curricular (and at times, curricular) activities are martial arts and dance. His senior thesis is entitled "A Far Greater Menace than Anarchy or Crime," a study on the animal and human vivisection debate and practice between 1873 and 1923 in America. Justin is currently studying in China (spring 2012).