Student spotlight: Pearl Yip

Pearl Yip chose to pursue a master’s degree in East Asian Studies because she wanted to learn more about China—"the soon-to-be world’s economic superpower," she says.

A recipient of a Stanford Global Studies graduate student grant, Pearl was able to travel to Guangzhou as part of her thesis research, which investigated the socio-economic plight of migrants in Taobao Villages in China.

As she reflects on her time at Stanford, Pearl says that she is most proud of stretching herself and pursuing many of the opportunities available on campus. Her favorite class was Culture of Entertainment in China: "I stumbled into this class thinking it was about modern China but it turned out to be a pre-modern class," she recalls. "I really had to step out of my comfort zone for this class to learn more about Tang China - the cultural apex of the imperial period. But in the end it was so rewarding and I left with so many interesting anecdotes from that era!"

After graduation, Pearl will be working for the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the Singapore government, helping Singaporean small and medium enterprises grow locally and expand overseas.

Pearl says that she enjoyed the flexibility of the East Asian Studies master’s degree: "I got to take classes in the fields of social sciences, humanities, languages, policy, and even computer science. This holistic education will prepare me to take on whatever quantitative or qualitative projects  I may embark on in the future."

Congratulations Pearl and best of luck!

Please join us in congratulating the class of 2018! As the academic year draws to a close, we are highlighting students graduating from across our 14 programs. Click here to view more student spotlights.