Graduate Profile: Hongmin Ahn, MTS '24

Message of Thanks  

I would not be where I am today without the unwavering support of my family and their endless love. In addition, I have been blessed by the support of this community of people over the last two years at HDS. 

I first would like to express my deepest gratitude to my academic advisor, Professor Janet Gyatso, for her profound mentorship and support. You exemplified to me how to navigate through the complexities of scholarship with wisdom and grace. My special thanks extend to Professor James Robson for his generosity in providing me with a Reading and Research class despite his extremely tight schedule. You showed me how one professor's leadership could bring such a transformative impact on not just a student but an institution. 

Professor Ryuichi Abe, words cannot adequately express how indebted I am to you for your boundless trust in my potential and for providing me with an opportunity to serve as a teaching fellow for your class. Your warm words of encouragement after my PhD rejection have been the guiding light in the dark sea of suffering. Thanks to you, I'm dreaming again, and I'm dreaming higher. 

Their collective advisorship allowed me to reach new heights in both scholarship and personal growth. I am incredibly proud to be their advisee. 

I also sincerely appreciate the friendship that I formed with the students of Regional Studies of East Asia (RSEA). For all of you who are graduating with me, thank you for taking me as an honorary RSEA member. I found the community I truly belonged to, and I will forever cherish every single second of laughter and tears I shared with you. 

Randy, thank you for being the best boss in the world. 

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my roommate and friend Kent Zheng (a student of RSEA '24 and incoming PhD at Harvard EALC), who has shown me the true meaning of scholarship and friendship over the past six years since our time together in college. Your unwavering dedication to academic excellence and genuine kindness and warmth have been the greatest form of academic and emotional support I always relied on. I am deeply thankful for your companionship and indelible impact on my academic and personal journey. 

I am grateful that this wonderful community that I loved also loved me. 

Future Plans 

I plan to study Japanese at Inter-University Center in Yokohama for one year. I hope to come back next year for the doctoral program.