Journalist. Leader. Food enthusiast.

I’m the cofounder & executive director of programs at City Bureau, a nonprofit civic journalism lab in Chicago, working toward information equity and building antiracist media systems. We host trainings, facilitate workshops & produce media that helps folks feel connected to their community and to have agency in the way our city works. I’m deeply interested in how media & civic engagement intersect, and what it means for us all to work toward a more just, liberated & thriving future together. My professional background is as a digital editor—that means I love helping writers find the best way to tell a story, express an idea or convince folks to care about something, AND I love finding ways to make sure that work reaches the right audience.

How does being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American and/or community ally play a role in your life?

Being Taiwanese American and going to Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF) summer camp as a kid is a huge part of my identity. I used to go to Taiwan every summer to visit my grandparents. Now many of my family elders have passed and I wish I had learned more from them while they were still around. Thanks to the burgeoning Taiwanese American community though, I feel blessed to be able to learn from folks here in the U.S. who share this identity, and to apply a critical lens to everything we learn about Asia in the U.S. education system.

I especially want to call out my time at TAF as a transformative experience that really encouraged me to climb out of my shell, be more self aware of my own identity and how I interact with the world, and to take a leadership role even before I believed I could be a leader. My TAF family taught me how to communicate, be vulnerable, be silly and be myself.

If you could teach future generations 1 thing about being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American or Taiwan, what would it be?

I’d want future generations to know that even though it’s easy to feel like our identity is being erased, there are so many ways that our Taiwanese ancestors & Taiwanese American predecessors have contributed to this world — you just need to know where to look. So be curious, be critical and be proactive! We are writing our history together now: through art, news media, scientific discoveries, athletic feats, entrepreneurship and so much more And you can be part of that.

What does the future of Taiwanese America look like to you?

The future of Taiwanese America can and should be a future where all of us can be our full selves and live full lives. More importantly, I hope that our future also looks like liberation & self-determination for all; a future of class and race solidarity; a future where our community works in partnership with our Black, Indigenous & People of Color brothers and sisters to create a brighter future together.

Favorite memory of Taiwan/Taiwanese America?

Too many joyous post-TAF memories hanging out in Chicago’s Chinatown & beyond 🙂

Favorite Taiwanese food?

Toughest question here… I’d have to go with lo-ba-bung (braised pork over rice) ⚡️