Reed Riggs
Reed graduated in 2005 with a major in Chinese Language and International Affairs, and a minor in Economics. While at Puget Sound, Reed studied abroad in Beijing for a semester at an intensive Chinese language program at Beijing Foreign Studies University, where he lived in a homestay and worked with Beijing residents with special needs as part of a local internship. Upon graduation, Reed moved to China where he spent the next seven years learning the language, culture and cooking in three distinct regions of the country: Sichuan, Yangzhou, and Guangzhou. Reed completed his MA in Teaching Chinese as an International Language at Sichuan University in 2012, and began working on a PhD in Chinese Linguistics since 2013. Reed has also been active every summer since 2012 at the University of Hawai'i STARTALK Mandarin Language Camp and Teacher Training institute, and served as the student program instructional lead at the Fargo STARTALK Mandarin program in 2016.
Selina Tran
Selina graduated in 2009 with a double major in Chinese and Politics and was also a Robert Trimble Distinguished Asia Scholar. While at Puget Sound, Selina studied abroad in Beijing for a semester in an intensive Chinese language program at Beijing University. As a rising senior, she studied abroad a second time as part of Puget Sound’s Pacific Rim/Asia Study-Travel Program. Upon graduation, Selina worked in DC at Global Ties U.S., an organization that facilitates international programs and promotes tolerance and peace through cultural exchanges. In 2014, Selina moved abroad to Vietnam where she taught English at Tra Vinh University as a VIA Programs fellow. Following her fellowship, she helped to start The Lab, a community and educational center, in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Selina is currently based in the U.S.
Mark Maffe
Mark graduated in 1994 with a major in Foreign Language International Affairs and a Chinese concentration. While at Puget Sound, Mark participated in study abroad programs at Shaanxi Teachers University in Xi’an, China and at Tunghai University in Taiwan. Upon graduating, Mark worked for a San Francisco Bay Area public agency, Association of Bay Area Governments, where he managed bilateral training exchange programs with the government of Taiwan. Mark’s Asia-based career started in Hong Kong in 1997, where he held roles working with global international sales and later in the investment banking sector. In 2007 he chose a new career path aimed at linking his China language and business skills with his personal passion for outdoor sports. This landed him in Shanghai where he launched the Oakley eye wear brands first operation in China, coinciding with Beijing Olympic games in 2008. He then went to work for the world’s leading outdoor brand, The North Face, and became their first American employee in China. Mark is still pushing out new international frontier markets with The North Face, now based at the brands European headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, where he manages the snow sports and equipment divisions covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Noe Yoshioka
Noe Yoshioka graduated in 2016 with degrees in Japanese, Economics and Business. While at Puget Sound, Noe was also on the Spring 2016 Dean's list . Noe is the most recent Miki Scholar and spent a full year of Japanese language study in Kyoto.