Our Growing Asian Community...
Asia Pacific
Our Asian Pacific Mount Holyoke network consists of over 1,600 alums living across Asia and the Pacific Islands, with 14 local Alum groups representing more than 10 countries. We are growing quickly, and focus on connecting, having fun and supporting fellow alums as well as potential and current Mount Holyoke students
A long history...
Our Asian alum community has deep and proud roots. The College’s first international student outside of North America, Toshi Miyagawa—of Chinese and Japanese heritage—graduated in 1893. It would be nearly a hundred years before students from Asia began coming to Mount Holyoke in greater numbers.
Today, our Asian alum network is large, diverse, and continuously growing. China is home to our largest community, with more than 600 alums, and we now have representatives in over 10 countries across the region—all committed to keeping the Mount Holyoke spirit alive!
Our alums reside not only in China, India, and South Korea, but also in Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and beyond. Despite being geographically dispersed, many maintain strong cultural and social ties to their countries of origin.
Meet our Asia Pacific Country Representatives
Our Regional Facebook Groups:
MHC Asian Alum Facebook group
MHC South Asian Alum Facebook group
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Bangladesh: Tamazer Ahmed ’04
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China*:
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Beijing: Songqiao Yao ’11
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Shanghai: Danyue Chen ’97
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India:
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All India: mhcindiagroup@gmail.com
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Mumbai: Vijaya Pastala ’89
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New Delhi/Gurgaon: Shireen Nausheen Alam ’97
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* There are multiple WeChat groups for across China, Shanghai & Beijing, and a WhatsApp group in Hong Kong
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Japan: Alison Birch Harada ’87
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Malaysia:
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Oysim Chin ’92
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Janice Shiu ’14
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Yen Ping Teh ’12
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Kelly Lim ’16
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Philippines: Maria S.H. Gochoco-Bautista ’78
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Singapore: Laura Rieber ’04
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South Korea:
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Frances Hyun-Sook Lee ’85
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Australia: Olia Petkova ’01
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New Zealand: Megan E. Couture FP ’11
How we connect...
Social media plays a central role in keeping our community connected.
While global platforms like Facebook and Instagram are widely used, country-specific apps—such as WeChat in China and WhatsApp in India and Hong Kong—are essential tools for communication. Numerous local social media groups foster community engagement, and our Asian Alum Facebook group, with over 550 members, brings us all together.
Country Representatives help facilitate alum interactions both in person and online
Hosting events, supporting local initiatives, offering career networking opportunities, and building connections through shared interests - this is what we do.
We also welcome and support students on study abroad programs. Most importantly, we love to connect, have fun, and build lasting friendships.
We organize online and in-person events, regionally and globally
While our community is globally connected, we especially cherish celebrating Lunar New Year with Mount Holyoke alums from around the world.
In the past, we’ve hosted inspiring symposia and dynamic Zoom panels for alums and students—and we look forward to doing so again soon.
Some of our recent events in Asia...
Based in Asia Pacific? We want to hear from you!
Our network is thriving—but as the largest regional community of international alums, we know there’s still more to do! We aim to celebrate our successes, create new local groups, organize more events, and strengthen our bonds across the Asia Pacific region.
We’re also actively seeking alums interested in leading future symposia and events across Asia.
We want to hear from you—your ideas, your energy, and your voice matter!
To help us grow our alum network—whether you're living and working in the Asia Pacific region or simply eager to stay connected from elsewhere—reach out to:
• Eleanor Chang ’78 (China)
• Vijaya Pastala ’89 (India)
• Kim Hunter ’75 (Other Asian countries)
by emailing MHCGlobalAA@gmail.com
Or contact your local alum representative above!