I was born in Fengqing, a small city in the province of Yunnan in southwest China.

“Yun” (云) means clouds as Yunnan is situated on Yungui Plateau (云贵高原）. “Nan” (南) means south as Yunnan is in southwest of China.

Yunnan is famous for its biological and ethnic diversity, and I am part of the “Yi” ethnic group.

One of my childhood passions was observing and immersing myself in the sheer diversity of the biological world. My twin sister and I loved to run around in the woods, observing all of the living things in the forest, changing, growing, and carrying out their unique life cycles. My father would present us with interesting math questions embedded in stories and elements of the surrounding environment. The three of us would spend hours discussing ideas and piecing our logical analysis and clues together to collaboratively solve the problems.

When I was 8, our family moved to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan, where I was exposed to people who speak different regional dialects, and few people understood the dialect from my hometown. I came to the US by myself when I was 18 for undergraduate studies. Communication, let alone having the sense of belonging, was initially challenging because how people speak in daily life is very different from what I learned in textbooks. Luckily, I encountered friends who were patient in introducing me to local sayings and culture.

Knowing how challenging it is to adapt to unfamiliar environments and wanting to help others with similar experiences, I tutored first-generation students in math, physics and chemistry at Johns Hopkins University. I served as a Residence Advisor for two years. I grew and learned a lot in the process of building a community through listening to my residents’ stories, identifying their individual needs, connecting them to resources, and empowering their personal growth.

Outside of campus, I volunteered at a non-profit organization called The Hero Lab to engage with and empower at-risk youth in Baltimore through positive psychology and community building projects. It was a valuable experience for me to experience the city beyond the Hopkins bubble.

After graduating when I worked at UCSF, I became close friends with a group of international researchers. We frequently gathered on weekends and shared our culture. For example, I hosted a dumpling party during Chinese New Year and an Indian friend hosted a Dosa Night. I also met my husband, who is from the rural midwest of America, and we had a multicultural wedding combining American and Chinese traditions.