I grew up in the theater, it was the first place I felt at home. After moving to America as a Chinese adoptee, it felt like a sigh of relief to have found somewhere that I felt so comfortable, safe and alive in this strange world. As a child, I knew this was what I secretly wanted to spend my life pursuing, but I was also aware of the realities of life as an artist and challenges of the industry. There were so few people who looked like me on stage, I didn’t know how I fit in. So at the tender age of 16, I put my dreams on hold. And years later, I found myself working in tech.
I spent the first 4+ years of my career at Google, working alongside brilliant and strategic thinkers. I was given significant responsibility in my early twenties — to launch marketing campaigns, to work with Fortune 500 clients, to manage budgets, to present to the CMO. And I worked on 3 different teams, which gave me an understanding of the business from the lens of a marketer, project manager and business operations partner. I am so grateful for those opportunities, they made me resilient and gave me strong professional skills.
But I knew that this path wasn’t right for me. I wasn’t motivated by the traditional career milestones, and when I looked at people more senior than me, I couldn’t see myself stepping into their shoes. So, for me, getting laid off from Google was actually a remarkable gift. I was blessed to have the runway and headspace to explore what my unique journey would look like. I considered countless different paths and truly allowed myself to ask “what if…?”
After years of exploration, I found myself asking — what did I truly want at my core? Who was I when I was a child, before fear and shame took over? For me, the answer was to finally allow myself to come home. To return to the place, to the community where I felt the most seen. To give myself the permission to try, even though I may fail. To return to the theater.
Today, I’m forging my own unique path. I’m creating a meaningful life as an actor and freelance program manager, blending my specific skillsets in a way that is distinct to me. I’m grateful to have worked with fantastic companies (e.g. Rippling) and worked with amazing artists (e.g. New Dramatists) and I’m excited for what’s next. Please reach out if you’re interested in collaborating with me in either domains, I look forward to working with you.