I’m passionate about helping international students and first-generation immigrant families because I identify with their struggles.

I was born and raised in China, and received my M.A. there in 1999. From 2000 to 2003, I taught middle schoolers in Singapore. In 2004, I came to the United States as a Ph.D. student and continued on to become an international faculty member from 2009 to 2022. During that time, I achieved some of the highest honors in my career — earning tenure in 2017 at a liberal arts college and receiving Level 1 Digital Humanities Advancement Grant (DHAG) from national grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2021.

Yet, like many who come to this land of opportunity, I also faced my share of setbacks. These experiences eventually led me to the Boston area, where I now work as a high school teacher and Advisor for East Asian students at an independent school.

Through all the highs and lows, one thing has remained constant: my desire to help. And it is that calling — rooted in empathy, experience, and resilience — that now inspires me to support international students and their families.