Most recently, support from the Center for Japanese Studies enabled me to continue dissertation writing without teaching duties while also embarking upon the academic job market for the first time. In the past, support from the Center has also been critical in enabling me to continue essential dissertation research at Waseda University in Tokyo during the coronavirus pandemic, in supporting my fieldwork in Japan over the summer, and in presenting my work at domestic conferences in the US. CJS also once, memorably, came to my rescue when my five-year-old laptop suddenly expired in the midst of me trying to write my master's thesis. Without emergency funds from CJS, a new computer would have been financially out of reach. It is no stretch to say that every milestone of my graduate career has been reached thanks to foundational support from the Center, which has in turn helped shape my academic career and identity as a scholar both at Berkeley and beyond.
- Chelsea Ward
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
CJS Fellow