I grew up in Shalu, a town located in the city of Taichung, which is on the west coast of the center of Taiwan. Growing up, I remember my dad was working all the time. He was employed at a local Christian University as a Commissioner and also give tutoring lessons in math and English for many local families. My paternal grandma ran a small general supply store and many of my aunts and uncles also lived close-by.

My paternal grandfather was a quiet scholarly man and grandma was a tough, business lady who raised 9 children and overcame a lot in life. My father's eldest sister was a teacher in the local elementary school and her husband was one of the administrators. They happened to live next door to us and we would often go over to their garden to climb the slippery guava trees and play on the big patch of Bermuda grass. One of my aunt's daughters gave art lessons so that started my love for drawing and painting. I also took Chinese calligraphy lessons on the weekends and enjoyed that tremendously. To me, Chinese characters appear as small works of art and their iconic nature allowed me to easily memorize and recall them.

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My mom would often take my two brothers and me to her parents' place in DaYa,  which is about 30min by bus ride. My maternal grandfather operated a small book rental. Grandpa and relatives from my mom's side of the family are lively, kindred spirits who love animals, embrace open dialogues, and social gatherings.

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I remember having many good friends at my primary school and my class was known to be the most chatty. I also represented my class in speech contests. Back then I was required to attend school for a half-day every other Saturday. Students also had to clean up the classroom before heading home each day. There were always lots of homework but time for social activities. It was a happy and carefree time of my life.

My dad brought us to the US for his post-graduate studies. It was my first experience flying on an airplane. Both of my brothers and I were extremely excited. Since my dad wasn't traveling with us, my resilient mother packed six large suitcases full of clothes, cookware, comforters, and even a cutting board. Every once in a while my mom would laugh about the things she brought over as if we are fleeing a country like refugees.

We stayed at my uncle's house for three months and I had my very first experience of eating a McDonald's Big Mac and I was so happy! 

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The first two years in the US were hard. Not knowing how to speak the English language was particularly frustrating to me as I would sometimes get teased. I also remember other kids would call me names. Growing up with two brothers, I had learned to be tough and would fight back and defend myself and my friends. A school bully used to call me "karate kid" as I used to kick when I fought. Middle school years were tough dealing with peer pressure and physical changes. High school was much better as I found a group of like-minded friends to hang out. 

My college years were great. I met many like-minded people and got to hone my communication skills.

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After college, I returned to the Bay Area. And being in Silicon Valley, I believe it was only a matter of time before finding employment in high-tech. I started as a sales assistant for a PCB company and moved to the marketing department when a position opened up. I volunteered to design the company's first website coding in HTML and developing animated graphics. It was a very exciting time for me and in the world of tech as software companies were exploding with new tools and I acquired many new skills, including web design and content creation. I gained more experience and met many great people along the way who helped me to grow and improve as an individual, both personally and professionally. With added responsibilities, I proposed and implemented the use of team collaboration and automation systems for better group communication and to create a better experience for consumers to interact with the company brand.

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As time goes by, I took on more responsibilities and led teams to create promotional material that can be marketed through different channels such as public releases, web blogs,  social media posts, advertisements, and editorials.

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My experience and knowledge in marketing communications expanded and flourished. I regularly communicated and worked with C-level executives and cross-functional teams on a wide range of projects.  I learned to develop go-to-market strategies, work with executives and teams from diverse backgrounds with different communication styles, set KPIs, analyze data, measure ROI, and manage the departmental budget and spending.

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I feel truly grateful and blessed for the life I have. After all, I am able to put ideas into words, and apply my creativity in storytelling and multimedia content creation in the midst of leading-edge technology that oftentimes blows my mind.

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My goal is to continue to better myself. After all, this is my journey and it is what I am able to make of it.