Angela McClean

BA: Wellesley College, East Asian Studies, American Studies

MA: Harvard University, Regional Studies: East Asia

Angela Yoonjeong McClean is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and a graduate student researcher at the Comparative Center for Immigration Studies at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests include international migration, forced migration, social movements, and Asian and Asian-American studies. In her dissertation, Angela explores refugee reception and resettlement in South Korea by examining some of the most influential domestic actors participating in Korea's politics of asylum – the public, political and bureaucratic elites, and civil society.

Prior to attending UC San Diego, Angela was an associate director of programs at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation (2013-14) in Washington, DC, where she was responsible for managing exchange programs and dialogues that promote stronger U.S.-Asia relations. She previously worked as program manager at the US-Korea Institute (2011-13), a think tank at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Angela earned her MA in Regional Studies – East Asia from Harvard University, with a concentration on modern Korean and Japanese studies, and a BA with aMagna Cum Laude distinction in East Asian Studies and American Studies from Wellesley College. She also studied at Japan Women’s University and Waseda University for one year where she conducted research on issues regarding gender roles and equality in Japan.