I grew up telling stories. As a child, I inherited comics drawn by my paternal grandfather, a pioneer manga artist in Taiwan. In high school, I perfected each pixel and paragraph of text in my senior yearbook as editor-in-chief. I spent college summers glued to Adobe Illustrator on computer screens, creating illustrations for books detailing American students’ journeys to different universities.

From my communications degree, I learned the psychology of advertising and brand stories. I studied the nuances of group conversations intertwined with anthropology. I realized that I loved examining connections between individuals, how people created meaningful experiences.

Through volunteer work, I pursued the chance to see things from different perspectives. I learned the power of collaboration as a policy fellow at the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office; and also at the United Nations, where I shared the environmental activities of Tzu Chi, an international humanitarian organization, with youth leaders. I focused my studies in environmental law, a field that forced me to grapple with the responsibility of creating solutions that were sustainable.

I realized the power of storytelling most profoundly as a divorce lawyer. In order to advocate for my clients, I had to constantly get to the answer of “why.” Putting a witness on the stand meant crafting meaningful questions. Arguing a case required separating truths from noise. But above all, I had to harness the emotion of deeply personal stories - stories to support law, to move the judge, to convince opposing counsel. Although courtrooms can be places of contest and competition, my most meaningful cases used them as spaces for collaboration.

In 2016, through a series of happy coincidences, I discovered the field of UX. My childhood passion for graphic design told me it was time to hang up my legal hat. I’ve taken all of my experiences as an advocate - for families, for the environment, for deep listening and heartfelt conversations - with me. I can’t wait to help you tell your story, now through design.