One of my earliest childhood memory is watching my Vietnamese dad play Tetris on the Game Boy, always impressed by how quickly he was able to score enough to get the space shuttle sequence. Growing up in the digital era, I have always been fascinated by the internet, social media and video games. I have since honed my skills in engaging with them critically, developing a keen interest in cultural and media theory.

This website carries the name I use for myself in the digital space – Kayde, sounding similar to my Western name given to me by my parents, Cathy, and Nuen as a play on the pronunciation of the Vietnamese family name Nguyen. For an extended crash course on my name, please refer to this.

Education

2023 PhD Student, Graduate School of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

2022 Doctoral level research student, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

2021 Japanese language student, Kyoto University, Japan

2018 – 2021 M.A. Media Studies, English Studies University of Cologne, Germany

2014 – 2018 B.A. Media Studies, English Studies University of Cologne, Germany

Experiences

2020 Internship at the University of Cologne New York Office in science diplomacy and public relations in higher education (esp. transatlantic partnerships between Germany and the North American landscape)

2017 – 2021 Research Assistant for Dr. Marc Bonner at the University of Cologne

2016 – 2017 Exchange year at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan