Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey—Spring 2024 Commencement program

spring commencement

monterey, california saturday, may 18, 2024

MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT MONTEREY

Commencement Exercises and Conferring of Degrees

PROCESSIONAL

Please rise for the processional.

WELCOME

Stephen Snyder

Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Nicholas Creary

Institutional Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer

REMARKS

Michelle McCauley

Executive Vice President and Provost

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

Ambassador Shorna-Kay Richards

HONORARY DEGREE PRESENTATION

Ambassador Shorna-Kay Richards

STUDENT SPEAKER

Dayna Brown MATLM ’24

CONFERRING OF DEGREES

Provost Michelle McCauley

PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES

Wallace Chen

Professor and Program Head, Chinese Translation and Interpretation

Patricia Szasz

Dean of Academic Innovation

CLOSING REMARKS

Vice President Stephen Snyder

RECESSIONAL

Please remain seated for the recessional.

RECEPTION

Please join us for a celebration at the Pierce Street Promenade.

5

VICE PRESIDENT’S PARTY

Michelle McCauley

Ambassador Shorna-Kay Richards

Dayna Brown

Hannah Ross

Wallace Chen

Patricia Szasz

Nicholas Creary

Stephen Snyder 5

GRAND MARSHAL

Moyara Ruehsen

Professor, Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies and Director, Financial Crimes Management Program

FACULTY MARSHAL

Andrea Hofmann-Miller

Faculty Senate Past President and Associate Professor, German Translation and Interpretation

MASTER OF ARTS IN CONFERENCE INTERPRETATION=CI

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION=T

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION=TI

CHINESE

Sidharth Babu (TI) Kochi, India

Zhongyue Chao (TI) Changzhou, China

Rouxu Chen (CI) Mansfield, Ohio

Tianhao Chen (T)* Ningbo, China

Lok Yiu Cheung (CI) Hong Kong

Xuechun Du (TI) Wuhan, China

Pai Xuan Jacqueline How (CI) Kuantan, Malaysia

Haian Huang (TI) China

Ting Huang (TI) China

Yifan Jia (CI) Hangzhou, China

Yuchi Jiang (TI) China

Han Li (T)* Shenzhen, China

Nan Li (T) Tunchang, China

Ziyu Li (T) Changsha, China

Xiaohan Liang (T) Maoming, China

Xi Liu (T) Zhuhai, China

Zexiang Liu (T)* Changsha, China

Zhiting Liu (TI) Guangzhou, China

Yi Lu (CI) Shanghai, China

Xinyi Luo (CI) Shanghai, China

Jingkun Ma (T)* Beijing, China

Amory Mu (T) Rizhao, China

Ruijing Qin (T)* Dongying, China

Junsheng Jack Ren (CI) Irvine, California

Jing Shang (CI) Shanghai, China

Yu-Ting Tai (T) Pingtung, Taiwan

Yu Tao (TI) Hefei, China

Yao Tong (CI) Lanxi, China

Jiayi Wan (TI) Shenyang, China

Wei Wang (T) Beijing, China

Yuxin Wang (TI) Shanghai, China

Niman Wu (TI) Enshi, China

Yanying Wu (CI) Enping, China

Ying V. Wu (T) Shanghai, China

Hongru Xu (TI) Shishi, China

Ge Yan (CI) Dunhuang, China

Chiung-Jen Yang (CI) Taipei, Taiwan

Yiwen Yu (CI) Shanghai, China

Junjun Zhan (T) Foshan, China

Jiaqi Zhang (T) China

Zekun Zhang (CI) Shouguang, China

Lingxue Zhao (T) Anyang, China

Jianyin Jenny Zheng (CI) Plano, Texas

Michael MZ Zheng (T) Beijing, China

Yirou Zheng (TI) Xiamen, China

Jiaxun Zhou (TI) Guangzhou, China

Xinyi Zhu (CI) Quanzhou, China

FRENCH

Sophie L. Giuliani (TI) Fanwood, New Jersey

Adam Lozier (T) Los Angeles, California

Willa S. Murre (TI) New York, New York

Austin Elizabeth Nikirk (TI) Baltimore, Maryland

Christopher Alexander Valdivieso (T) Blue Springs, Missouri

JAPANESE

Sarah Marie Blackwell (T) Glendale Heights, Illinois

Hitomi Kinno (TI) Hiroshima, Japan

Mako Yoshida (T) Murcia, Spain

KOREAN

Doeon Lee (TI) Seoul, Republic of Korea

Joon Seok Park (TI) Seoul, Republic of Korea

RUSSIAN

Emina Musayeva (TI) Seattle, Washington

Harveer Singh (TI) Gingoli, India

SPANISH

Luciana Daniela Aliendre Chacon (T) La Paz, Bolivia

Sarahi Juarez (TI) Whittier, California

Elisabeth S. Speece (T) Santa Clara, California

Emmeline Rose Startt (TI) Milwaukee, Wisconsin

MASTER OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

Gabriel Philip Albright

Deepika Sherlin Benjamin Houston, Texas

Eleanor Karter Bent* New York, New York

Noemi Kealoha Cerritos Gatto Fort Campbell, Kentucky

John Ciarico New York, New York

Hannah Christine Ditty Seattle, Washington

Lily Edelman-Gold New York, New York

Garrett Faustino Hambaro Monterey, California

Maya Wallace Hoffman Monterey, California

Benit Dorcas Davina Mbiakolo Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Isabel Ann Mohn* Northfield, Illinois

Diego Andrés Tabilo Sanhueza San Antonio, Chile

Shivani Tambi Corning, New York

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MANAGEMENT

Jordyn Nicole Dezago Red Hook, New York

Elizabeth Mary Hoffman* Cincinnati, Ohio

Leilah Maria Mouna Uxbridge, Canada

Margaret Anne Reagan* Cortland, New York

Tyson Hideichi Takeuchi* Wailuku, Hawai’i

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

Marion H. Ayer* Lexington, South Carolina

Chia Aygoda Ethiopia

Xinyi Chen* Shaoxing, China

Gnanman Ange Armand Landry Dohou Bi Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Orlando Gabriel Florea Scottsdale, Arizona

Shuxin He* Suzhou, China

Nancy Kwang Johnson Queens, New York

Marisa Jones Exeter, New Hampshire

Phoebe Jones* Holyoke, Maryland

Adiba Juya Kabul, Afghanistan

Kimberly Jessenia Mendez Lemús Baltimore, Maryland

Braeden Alexander Lowe Fairfax, Virginia

Simina Moldovan* Naples, Florida

Casey Andrew Moore Burlington, Kentucky

Jonathan T. Phan Stockton, California

Kathleen Rabe Sacramento, California

Emmy J. Ruff Sacramento, California

Kamille Sue Skolmoski Riverton, Utah

Jeffrey Charles Williams Warrenton, Virginia

Tingyuan Zhang* Qujing, China

MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Marisa Jones Exeter, New Hampshire

José Dy Ortiz* San Diego, California

Daniel Ridley* Sugar Land, Texas

Izabella Mina Smith Las Vegas, Nevada

Jeffrey Charles Williams Warrenton, Virginia

MASTER

OF ARTS IN NONPROLIFERATION AND TERRORISM

STUDIES

Samir Belkacem Oakland, California

Madeline K. Berzak Denville, New Jersey

Frances Mendez Breidenstein Cincinnati, Ohio

Alfonso Camacho-Martinez Bogotá, Colombia

Raymond C. Chen Dorset, Vermont

Taylor Tomiko Chin* San Jose, California

Samuel J. Cohen Denver, Colorado

Jack Cooper Raymond Crowell Richmond, Virginia

Leo Eckel Rochester, Minnesota

Decker Eveleth

Bailey Rose Hendrix Cedar City, Utah

Alden E. Horton IV Nashville, Tennessee

Greyton E. Kegler Buffalo, New York

Samuel David Lair* Salt Lake City, Utah

Robin Littlefield Middlebury, Vermont

Marcella J. Myers Delano, California

Yanliang Pan* Beijing, China

Giovana Rodrigues Manfrin Curitiba, Brazil

Marci Rebecca Ross Columbia, South Carolina

Halle Yvette Shephard Baltimore, Maryland

Daniel Shepler Bow, Washington

Ariel Silver West Lebanon, New Hampshire

Makaeyla N. Zamora Houston, Texas

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER

LANGUAGES

Elisabeth Mary Ampthor* Sylvania, Ohio

Allison O. Campbell Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Morgan Walker Hearne Sendai, Japan

Marina Nicole Lorenzi* Latrobe, Pennsylvania

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Kari Naumova Moscow, Russia

MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION MANAGEMENT

Xiaoying An Jilin, China

Svetlana Andryunina* Moscow, Russia

Iliana Alexandra Angulo-Arreola* Tijuana, Mexico

Eunji Bak* Jejudo, Republic of Korea

Hannah C. Berke New Orleans, Louisiana

Dayna Kristine Brown* United States

Lea B. Bruzzo Delgadillo Orange County, California

Xiaoyu Shenny Cai Sacramento, California

Yiqin Cao Shanghai, China

En-Lin Chang* Taipei, Taiwan

Huiyi Chen Beijing, China

Xiaoyan Chen Shenzhen, China

Wei-San Chiang Taiwan

Cintia de Melo Dias Kanowitz São Paulo, Brazil

Yue Ding Yangzhong, China

Hannah R. Epstein Gastonia, North Carolina

Christopher Fontas San Mateo, California

Yijun Guo Taiyuan, China

Hina Hassan Hong Kong

Zitong Huang Shanghai, China

Chaoyue Jiang Hangzhou, China

Winston Jiang* Shanghai, China

Eunhyo Shay Kim Seoul, Republic of Korea

Jihyun Kim* Seoul, Republic of Korea

Min Hae Kim Manila, Philippines

Yuxuan Lai Ganzhou, China

Sisi Li Jinan, China

Yefan Li Xi’an, China

Binyuan Liu* Ji’an, China

Yuqi Liu Nanjing, China

Yuqin Liu Wuxi, China

Yi Lu Shanghai, China

Yiqing Lu Beijing, China

Huangyi Lyu Enshi, China

Man-Yi Ma Taipei, Taiwan

Qianqian Ma Beijing, China

Shirui Ma Liaocheng, China

Benjamin Mendelsohn Sunnyvale, California

Jing Min Beijing, China

Gretchen E. Mina Fort Wayne, Indiana

Nicholas B. Niculescu New York, New York

Emilia Lynn Primavera West Palm Beach, Florida

Anastasia Reshetikhin Berkeley, California

Madelyn R. Sanchez* Middlebury, Vermont

Eric Anthony Silberstein* Roseville, California

Kyeong Suk Eunice Song* Seoul, Republic of Korea

Da Sun Shanghai, China

Melissa Anne Svenningsen

Inna Svitiashchuk Sacramento, California

Sarah Tesfasion Las Vegas, Nevada

Lindsay R. Vail* Elk Grove, California

Zhihao Wang Beijing, China

Shuyun Xiao Beijing, China

Peng Xu Anhui, China

Jiayi Zhai Shanghai, China

Lide Zhang* Shanghai, China

Albert Zhu Fuzhou, China

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Marion H. Ayer* Lexington, South Carolina

Daniel Byron Bolton* Killeen, Texas

Jordyn Nicole Dezago Red Hook, New York

Gnanman Ange Armand Landry Dohou Bi Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Elizabeth Amy Hammond* Monterey, California

Elizabeth Mary Hoffman* Cincinnati, Ohio

Jonathan T. Phan Stockton, California

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Kathleen Rabe + Sacramento, California

Emmy J. Ruff ++ Sacramento, California

CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Jennifer Mari Watts Pebble Beach, California

CERTIFICATE IN TERRORISM STUDIES

Justin Christopher Coscia Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania

* With distinction + Summa cum laude ++ Cum laude

FLAGS OF MANY HOMELANDS

Today’s flags represent 192 graduates from 22 homelands.

Afghanistan

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Côte d’Ivoire

Denmark

Ethiopia

Hong Kong

India

Japan

Malaysia

Mexico

Republic of the Congo

Republic of Korea

Russia

Taiwan

Ukraine

United States

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We pause to acknowledge that the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) sits in the Village of Achasta on the ancestral and unceded land of the Ohlone (Costanoan) Rumsen/Rumsien people, a Rumsenspeaking group. Several contemporary tribes, including Esselen, call this land home today. The surrounding Monterey Bay region includes lands traditionally inhabited by the Esselen (to the south), Chalon (to the south), Mutsun (to the north), and Salinan (to the east) groups. We honor these groups’ experiences in the past, present, and future, as we work collaboratively with them to protect the land and its inhabitants. Let us take a moment of silence to honor these Indigenous communities, past and present. We give thanks for the opportunity to respectfully share in the bounty of this place and are working collaboratively to protect it. We are all one in the sacred web of life that connects people, animals, plants, air, water, and earth.

A career diplomat, Shorna-Kay Richards has been a member of the Jamaican Foreign Service since 1994. She is currently the ambassador of Jamaica to Japan, with concurrent accreditation to Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and New Zealand.

Ambassador Richards served previously as the director for bilateral relations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (2016–2020). She has also served as the deputy permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, New York (2012–2016). Her other overseas postings include the Jamaican High Commission in South Africa (2009–2012), the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. (1998–2001), and the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2003–2004).

She was appointed as a member of the Secretary-General of the United Nations’ Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters in January 2022 and the Board of Trustees of the UN Disarmament Research Institute. She has been serving as the chair of these two bodies since January 2024.

Ambassador Richards has vast experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. In the bilateral arena, she has worked extensively in supporting the management of Jamaica’s bilateral relations to secure increased access to official development assistance, technical cooperation, human resource development, and trade and investment opportunities.

AMBASSADOR SHORNA-KAY RICHARDS

At the multilateral level, she has worked actively in the field of international security and disarmament. During her assignment to the United Nations, she served as vice chair of the UN Disarmament Commission. She was also a facilitator for the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations and a lead negotiator for the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty process. She was also actively involved in negotiations on oceans and the law of the sea.

She holds a master’s degree in international policy and practice from the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University. She also obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the West Indies. She was a United Nations Disarmament Fellow in 2005.

STUDENT

Dayna Brown graduates today with a Master of Arts in Translation and Localization Management. As the daughter of U.S. Air Force parents, she spent most of her life moving around the United States and the larger world beyond, which inspired her love for languages and learning. She moved to Shanghai, China, in 2017 to start learning Mandarin Chinese and obtain a degree as a first-generation college student. She now holds a BA from New York University Shanghai with a degree in global China studies and a world history degree from East China Normal University.

During her two years at MIIS, she became a leader in her community; first through serving as the Translation and Localization Management program representative and later as the TLM program graduate assistant. In the 2022–2023 academic year, she received the Katherine Davis Fellowship in Conflict Transformation, which led her to create her language accessibility passion project, Period Local, a free resource for multilingual menstrual health information that aims to bridge the gap in language education and health.

Dayna has been a speaker for Women in Localization and multiple MiniMonterey Model events. As she sets forth with her master’s degree, she seeks to continue fostering the leadership and management skills she learned at MIIS, both in herself and others. Beyond her professional and academic life, Dayna is an avid rock climber and has a passion for writing and art.

With her today, both in person and in spirit, are the family and friends who supported her through this journey.

DAYNA BROWN MATLM ’24

PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE 2023–2024

PRESIDENT

Laurie L. Patton

CHARTER TRUSTEES

Joseph W. Brown ’90

Leilani M. Brown ’93

Kirtley H. Cameron ’95

G. Parker Harris III ’89

Catherine G. Lee ’92

George C. Lee II ’88

Belinda L. Badcock

Barbara G. Cole

Janine Feng ’92

Graham C. Goldsmith ’89

Lucienne M. Ide ’97

Carol L. Jones

Alice Jane (A.J.) Murphy ’98

Koby Altman ’04

Zachary A. Bourque ’01

Denver G. Edwards ’88

Caroline Sneath McBride ’75

Dennis D. Parker ’77

Richard T. Scanlon ’93

Susan J. Scher ’86

Karen A. Stolley ’77

William F. Truscott ’83

TERM TRUSTEES

Suzanne Reider ’87

Henry J. Simonds ’97

Elizabeth Cromwell Speers ’86

Mark D. Spence ’98

John E. Waldron ’91

O. Larry Yarbrough

Kashif Zafar ’92

ALUMNI TRUSTEES

Anne Davis Peterson ’85

Shawn P. Ryan ’88

Danielle S. Virtue ’82

RECENT GRADUATE TRUSTEE

Kenshin Cho ’20

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Dort A. Cameron III ’67

James S. Davis ’66

Churchill G. Franklin ’71

Frederick M. Fritz ’68

Nancy Coffrin Furlong ’75

Claire Waterhouse Gargalli ’64

Robert C. Graham Jr. ’63

Willard T. Jackson ’51

William H. Kieffer III ’64

Roxanne McCormick Leighton ’67

John M. McCardell Jr.

C. Irving Meeker ’50

Patricia Judah Palmer ’57

Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’79

Elisabeth Robert ’78

Frank W. Sesno ’77

Deborah G. Thomas ’75

John R. Tormondsen ’82

J. Edward Virtue ’82

Marna C. Whittington

Linda Foster Whitton ’80

Kendrick R. Wilson III

MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE BOARD OF ADVISORS

2023–2024

TRUSTEES

Catherine G. Lee ’92, Chair

Lucienne M. Ide ’97, Vice Chair

Kirtley H. Cameron ’95 G. Parker Harris III ’89

George C. Lee II ’88

Caroline Sneath McBride ’75

Henry J. Simonds ’97

Karen A. Stolley ’77

EMERITI

Churchill G. Franklin ’71

Frederick M. Fritz ’68

William H. Kieffer III ’64

Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’79

Frank W. Sesno ’77

PARTNERS

Alison Geballe

Deborah Hicks

Elaine White Gómez MAIPS ’93

Michael C. Rawding ’86

Rich Wolfson

CONSTITUENTS

Landry Dohou Bi MAIPD/MPA ’24

Sharad Joshi

Jill Stoffers MACD ’00

A FEW NOTES

GRADUATION WITH HONORS

Undergraduate students completing all degree requirements with a record of high academic achievement are awarded traditional Latin honors: cum laude (3.50–3.74), magna cum laude (3.75–3.89), and summa cum laude (3.9–4.0). Master’s degree recipients completing with a cumulative GPA of 4.00 graduate with distinction. Recipients of summa cum laude and distinction honors are awarded honors cords.

COMMENCEMENT RECEPTION

The Middlebury Institute has a long tradition of sustainable practices and innovative initiatives. In 2015, we adopted a policy of featuring at least 50 percent plant-based food at all official Institute events where food is served. In that spirit, and in an effort to meet our sustainability policy goals, we are proud to serve 100 percent plant-based foods at today’s Commencement reception.

PHOTOS

A photo area is available near the front of the stage on the right. To help alleviate congestion, please remain in your seat and proceed to this area only when your graduate is ready to receive a diploma. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Office of Communications is pleased to offer complimentary Commencement ceremony photographs to our graduating students, courtesy of Robert Ellis Photography. Details will be provided via email once photos become available.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Special thanks to Professor Mike Gillen for playing the bagpipes leading the processional.

SUPPORTING THE MIDDLEBURY INSTITUTE ANNUAL FUND

We are grateful to the generous alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends who support the many facets of an Institute education by donating to the Annual Fund. Your contributions give future students the opportunity to pursue their dreams and lead purposeful lives. Visit go.miis.edu/give to learn more about how to make a gift.

MIDDLEBURY

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies educates professionals to advance understanding, promote peace, and drive change in pursuit of a more just world. The Institute’s 500 students come from more than 35 countries, joining a faculty and global network of alumni who are actively addressing some of the most critical issues of our time—including climate change, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Through a range of both in-person and online degree programs, students build critical in-demand skills in public policy, intercultural communication, mixed-methods and open-source data analysis and research, leadership and administration, education, language teaching, and translation, interpretation, and localization.

The Institute is also home to a wide range of research centers and initiatives, including the renowned James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the Center for the Blue Economy, and the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, as well as the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies. Founded in 1955, the Institute became affiliated with Middlebury College in 2005 and was fully integrated as a graduate school of Middlebury in 2010. Middlebury is anchored by the undergraduate college in Vermont, which was founded in 1800 and has long been recognized as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country. Today Middlebury is also a graduate school for international studies; a home for immersive language study; a graduate school for the study of literature, literacy, and pedagogy; a leader of schools abroad sites that span the globe; and a home for the oldest and most prestigious writers’ conference in the world. Middlebury is an institution that prepares students to address the world’s most challenging problems, and it does so by engaging them in the life of the mind and soul.