I have spent the past 13+ years at SIS working with students interested in pursuing their graduate education in international relations. Having started my own journey as an international student from China and completing my undergraduate and graduate studies in the US, I know that this journey can be bumpy at times. Going through the program is one thing, making sense of the system(s) within which your academic learning occurs is another. Being a first-generation college student has taught me a lot of things, one of which is that your school journey is never complete until you’ve found/built your own community. Sometimes this is a community made up of people who are willing to sit down together and ask each other earnest questions. Sometimes it’s a community of friends and allies that share some common goals and aspirations and are willing to be there for each other whenever needed. My core learning of all this has been – it is O.K. if you don’t try to take it on all by yourself.

Most of my professional career has been centered around higher education enrollment management, international education, and partnership-building. I love thinking about how the seemingly disparate pieces of our work in higher education can oftentimes come together and feed into each other. I also love brainstorming around leveraging limited resources to create greater educational access for all those who deserve it.

Ask Me About…

• Getting acclimated as a first-year student
• International education
• Planning finances for graduate school
• Cross-cultural communication
• International student life

In addition to my current role at SIS, I also know about some other aspects of the AU Community, including…

• ISSS: the International Student and Scholar Services Office

Outside of AU, I spend my time…

• Traveling
• Making pottery
• Gardening
• Watching Peter Brook’s The Mahabharata for the 10th time
• Reading Bill Bryson

I am a member of the following groups/associations…

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators

I have lived in…

• Shanghai, China
• New York (briefly)

I have traveled to…

• India
• Sri Lanka
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Guatemala
• Mexico
• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• France
• UK
• Croatia
• Spain
• Switzerland and many more!