Visiting Scholars
2023
Qiao Yu
Qiao Yu is from Shenyang, Liaoning, in northeast China, boasting a climate akin to Oberlin's, where the Qing Dynasty once flourished. Qiao is in her second year of graduate school, studying Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages at Beijing Normal University. Of her program in Oberlin, she said “Landing this incredible internship opportunity to teach Chinese at Oberlin College's East Asian Department fills me with immense pride and excitement! I adore teaching Chinese, and my goal is to make learning educational and a blast for my students. I want to help them find their own unique learning styles while giving them a taste of the rich tapestry of Chinese culture from every angle. Life at Shanxi House is a real treat too! I'm constantly diving into exciting activities and exploring new cities during breaks, always keeping the good times rolling. And I've already applied to extend my internship for another year—I can't get enough of this vibrant journey!”
Yukumi Kawashima
Yukumi Kawashima teaches Japanese in the East Asian Studies department. She has years of elementary school teaching experience in Japan, and now shares her passion for teaching and language learning at Oberlin. Enthusiastic about education, she is dedicated to level up her teaching skills and understanding of second language acquisition through ongoing participation in a language pedagogy course. She finds joy in not only sharing Japanese language and culture as a Japanese instructor but also in meeting diverse individuals at Oberlin College, where she gains a lot of inspiration and broadens her horizons.
Izzan Nur Aslam
Izzan Nur Aslam has a background in Chemical Engineering from Universitas Syiah Kuala in Indonesia. After completing his undergraduate studies, Izzan pursued postgraduate studies in mining engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and metallurgical engineering at Curtin University, Australia. Currently based in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Izzan serves as a lecturer at the Mining Engineering Department of Syiah Kuala University. Alongside his teaching role, he takes on responsibilities as the Coordinator for International Mobility & Promotion at the Office of International Affairs. Izzan's academic interests cover a range of topics, from mining and minerals-coal processing to community engagement and entrepreneurship.
At Oberlin College, he looks forward to delving into courses like Environment & Society, Energy & Society, and Real World Applications of Entrepreneurship. He's particularly interested in exploring community-based learning projects and work-study methods embedded in these courses. Additionally, Izzan is conducting desktop study on topics such as "A Compact Study of Community Resilience in Aceh’s Coal Mining District," #EnablePeopletoMARS (Mining Advancement Resilience for Resilience and Sustainability), and geothermal-based district development. Izzan also will attend the StartupGrind Global Conference 2024 in Silicon Valley, California. Izzan envisions that the insights gained during the program will facilitate collaboration, benefiting both the Oberlin community and Syiah Kuala University.
Sharon Alice Christy Ponmudi
Sharon Alice Christy Ponmudi is a professor in the Department of English at Lady Doak College, Madurai, India. At Oberlin, she hopes to take classes on classics, creative writing, and music, and simultaneously work on her research dissertation. She is also interested in observing different teaching methodologies and evaluation patterns to get a comprehensive picture of modern day pedagogies. This program will enable her to take these insights and key learnings and better contribute to her home institution.