About

Hilary Yarger (she/her) is an Engagement and Outreach Coordinator at the Cornell University Language Resource Center.  In 2023, she graduated from the University of Chicago Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH), where she pursued East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Electronic Arts.  Her graduate thesis, entitled "Hazy Devotion: A Visual Album in Electronic Music, East Asian Instruments, and Sensory Experience" is an original twenty-minute visual album merging traditional East Asian instruments and contemporary vaporwave and slushwave electronic music.  During Summer 2022, Hilary attended the Middlebury Language Schools Summer Program for Mandarin Chinese Level 3.  She continued her Chinese language study in the MAPH Two-Year Language Option as a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow.  Hilary worked at the University of Chicago's Institute on the Formation of Knowledge as a Communications Assistant, where she created, edited, and published video and website content for the promotion of Institute events, such as their Cultures & Knowledge Workshop Series.

At twenty years old, Hilary earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College at Simon's Rock in May 2021 with concentrations in Electronic Media and the Arts and Asian Studies.  Her BA thesis, titled "Emptiness: The Interpretation of Ma 間, Mu 無, and Ensō 円相 in Japanese Aesthetics," researched the influence of emptiness/nothingness/void on traditional Japanese music, calligraphy, ikebana (flower arrangement), and zen gardens.  Her thesis also included a digital installation video arts component incorporating her own original electronic music, ikebana arrangements, photography, digital drawing, video, and editing.  During undergrad, Hilary also participated in performing arts, acting in the musical Be More Chill, Twelfth Night, Antigone, and Sorry, Wrong Number.

Hilary is also interested in disability/neurodiversity studies.  She gave two presentations,  "Autism Awareness and Acceptance on the College Campus" in Fall 2018 and "Autism and Disability During the Global Pandemic" in Fall 2020, for the Bard College at Simon's Rock Council for Equity and Inclusion's Symposia on Social Justice.  Recently, during the Middlebury Language Schools Summer Program, Hilary wrote her final paper on "自闭症学生的教育" (translation: "Education for Autistic Students").

Hilary's hobbies include joggling (juggling while jogging), fashion, fibers, creative writing, tarot, and all things kawaii.  Hilary is passionate about studying foreign languages and cultures.  She recently began learning how to play the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument.  Hilary also enjoys taijiquan (tai chi) and Chinese crafts.  She hopes to someday have the opportunity to travel abroad across East Asia.

Hilary is always looking for unusual skills to learn and loves exploring new hobbies.  Feel free to contact her with any questions, comments, or ideas.