My interests lie in the intertwined histories of foreign relations, law, and capitalism. 

Before coming to Princeton, I earned my undergraduate degree in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard College. I spent my sophomore and junior years teaching history at a local charter school as part of the now-defunct Undergraduate Teacher Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

After graduating, I worked in Human Resources at two multinational investment firms, where I helped organize both companies’ inaugural affinity groups for Asian American and Pacific Islander employees and allies.

My dissertation project, “Capital Conquest: Japanese Investment in Postwar Seattle,” places the contemporaneous domestic and international racialization of Japan and Japanese people in conversation with one another. I use the legal and cultural implications of foreign ownership of various types of American property throughout the postwar period to explore how Japanese foreign investment influenced Japanese Americans' political, economic, and cultural inclusion during the Cold War and beyond.

I am also fascinated by the tensions amongst international, national, and local governments, which I explore through Seattleites’ responses to the 1999 World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference.

In addition to my research, I am the point of contact for the IHUM Asian American Studies reading group, so please reach out if you would like to talk about future programming or want to be added to our email list.

Outside of my work, I’m passionate about the mental health of Asian American youth and advocating for survivors of sexual assault and harassment.

I welcome emails from potential applicants interested in researching Asian Americans and/or the recent past!

Photo credit: Sameer Khan/Fotobuddy LLC