Photos: MARSEA Graduation Bash Makes a Cheerful Signoff to the School Year

_{MARSEA Academic Director Sau-yi Fong and MARSEA Director Xiaobo Lü (center) surrounded by students in the program on May 18, 2026.} 

Room 918 in the International Affairs Building, ordinarily a venue for scholarly inquiry and learned discussion, took on a whole new festive air on the afternoon of May 18, 2026, when the Weatherhead East Asian Institute threw a celebration for graduates and continuing students in its Master of Arts in Regional Studies: East Asia (MARSEA) program. 

Attendees were encouraged to bring family and friends, which made for a lively infusion of new faces among the students and their professors. A four-footed friend, said to be related to a member of the Weatherhead staff, was cordially welcomed as well (bottom image, below). 

Enjoy some party photos below: 

MARSEA is an intensive graduate program that trains students in the social scientific study of modern and contemporary Northeast, Southeast, and Inner Asia. Graduates are prepared for entry into doctoral programs or professional degree programs (such as law, business, social work, or journalism), or for careers in government, NGOs, education, think tanks, and business. Click here for more information about the program.

We salute our 2026 MARSEA graduates on their degrees and wish them all success with their next steps. We are equally enthusiastic about welcoming back our returning students in the fall!