Samuel Galler '12

Samuel Galler '12

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Harvard College ’12 (Quincy House)
BA, East Asian Studies, Harvard College
MA, Regional Studies - East Asia '12, Harvard University
PhD, International Development, Oxford University

I remember “stumbling into EAS as a concentration,” as a result of my interest in Chinese language and culture.  My initial interest quickly transitioned from a few electives as part of a Social Studies concentration to my main field of study, and comprised the majority of the courses I took as an undergrad. Concentrating in EAS definitely shaped my professional aspirations. I will continue studying advanced Chinese in Taiwan following the completion of my PhD at Oxford, and I plan on working in Asia in the future. As an EAS concentrator, I was involved in some of the Asian cultural organizations on campus, and also benefited from support from the Asia Center and the Fung Scholarship for research and language study. Additionally, I attended the Harvard-Beijing Academy Summer School in 2009, which was a terrific experience. These resources expanded my understanding of China and inspired new possibilities for professional and academic life after college.

EAS provided a pathway for me to build a career in my field and has opened up many doors, including job opportunities in different fields in Asia. The combination of excellently taught language courses and applied ethnographic research that I conducted within EAS has equipped me with the skills necessary to work at a high professional level in China. In fact, my area of research at Oxford involves long field trips to China, which are extensions of topics and questions that arose during my time at Harvard. Among the Harvard Alumni who I met around the world were many wonderful mentors and advisors, and I was very grateful to attend Harvard Club events in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong when doing fieldwork. I highly recommend EAS as a concentration to anyone considering working or studying in Asia at an advanced level, noting the inspiring faculty, wide variety of courses and supportive community of students and alumni.

For someone with a specific interest in another field, I emphasize that it’s possible to take sufficient courses related to that concentration and still major in East Asian Studies, since the concentration is flexible and interdisciplinary. EAS can be customized to fit a variety of interests, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to travel and conduct research abroad. My life would be unrecognizable had I not concentrated in EAS.

[Since the time of this interview, Samuel Galler earned his PhD in International Development from Oxford, where he researched Chinese NGOs working in the HIV sector. He is currently a Venture Partner at Outliers Fund, a global community-driven and research-oriented technology accelerator.]