JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE
Freelance Journalist and Editor
September 2009-present. Report and write features, news and content for The Washington Post, Forbes, Crain Communications, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today and Midwest Living, Contributing editor for PolitiFact from 2022-2025. Co-author of the book, "Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America." Passionate about exploring race and identity. Storytelling and editing clients have also included The New York Times, Diversity Woman, National Geographic Family, Caregiving, Subaru Drive, The Lily, The Huffington Post, Chicago magazine, Northwestern University, Energy Times, Fit Pregnancy, the Chicago Navigators, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Willow Creek Community Church and Time Out Chicago. Fact-checked and edited travel books for Avalon.
Executive Director of Communications
The Evangelical Covenant Church
January 7. 2019-February 29, 2020. Served as editor-in-chief of the Covenant Companion, the ECC’s bimonthly magazine, named best 2019 denominational magazine by the Associated Church Press and the Evangelical Press Association. Led the denomination’s communications team in storytelling, branding, video, photography, printing, resourcing, branding and curricula efforts throughout the denomination. Cast vision as part of the ECC’s senior leadership team. Handled the ECC’s public relations. Reported and wrote cover stories and features for the magazine and website from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chile and Alaska.
Detroit Free Press, Features Staff Writer
Feb. 7, 2004 - Aug. 14, 2009. Features general assignment reporter. Explored race and ethnicity issues, domestic violence and the death of the only female soldier from Michigan in Iraq. Wrote lifestyle, travel, profiles, entertainment, ethnic, work life and fitness stories. Travel coverage included on Chinatowns and hiking in Peru. Started with paper on metro and community desks.
The New York Times, Reporting Intern
June 30, 2003-Sept. 30, 2003. Wrote for City, Metro and The Arts sections, including stories on blind photographers, Chinese Latinos, Indian integration in Queens and a Chinese-American hip-hop artist.
Los Angeles Times, Reporting Intern
June 24, 2002-Sept, 1, 2002. Wrote for Metro and Health sections. Covered land disputes. Wrote enterprise stories about labor organizing and about a fitness class called “yoga booty ballet.”
The Miami Herald, Reporting Intern
April 1, 2002-June 13, 2002. Wrote for Metro section in Broward County and also worked on copy desk. Wrote about breaking news and civic and political involvement among Asian Americans.
Detroit Free Press, Reporting Intern
June 11, 2001-Sept. 1, 2001. Covered breaking news and features in Oakland County and metro Detroit. Filed FOIA requests. Wrote about Eminem’s court issues, commercialization of BMX and martial arts.
Chicago Tribune, Reporting Intern
June 6, 2000-July 22, 2000. Wrote stories out of the Tribune’s Washington, D.C. bureau about young voters and resistance to antibiotics.
Daily Herald, Reporting Intern
July 24, 2000-September 11, 2000.Covered education beat in DuPage County. June 1999-September 1999. Covered general news and features. January 1998.DuPage Bureau’s first high school intern. Wrote about bomb squad.
ELECTED EXPERIENCE
Member of the Barrington 220 Community Unit School District Board of Education 2021-present. First elected to the school board in 2021 in an 11-person race for four spots; re-elected in 2025 in a 6-person race for four spots. Serve on the school board’s policy committee and represented the board twice as a delegate to the Illinois Association of School Board’s General Assembly. Also rotate on 220’s district equity team and PTO presidents council. Accomplishments include implementing free, full-day kindergarten throughout the district, saving taxpayers $7.5 million by not issuing debt service extension base bonds during the height of inflation, implementing a $147 million referendum on time and under budget to enhance all school buildings and passing a $64 million referendum to build a new community auditorium and STEAM spaces, as well as strengthen safety and security.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Enumerator, U.S. Census Bureau, July 2020-present, April 2010-July 2010. Visited residents in Cook County complete 2020 and 2010 U.S. Census interviews. Field tech, equipment manager and election judge for Cook County Clerk's Office from election cycles 2015-present.
EDUCATION
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. Evanston, IL. June 2003.
Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Magna Cum Laude. Honors and double major in history. Wrote thesis on the Chinese in Mexicali, Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. Studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain.
Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL. June 1999.
Salutatorian, Co-founder and editor-in-chief of Voices, the school newspaper. “Daily Herald” high school columnist.
AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
Co-director of the freelance affinity group for the Asian American Journalists Association and past president of the AAJA Chicago and Michigan chapters. American Society of Journalists and Authors member; Member of the Board of Education in Illinois District 220; Northwestern University Alumni Admission Council member; American Association of Sunday and Features Editors Diversity fellowship recipient; AAJA Michigan Presidents Award. Best denominational magazine (Covenant Companion), Associated Church Press and Evangelical Press Association. Award of Merit for In-Depth Coverage, Associated Church Press. Third Place for Feature Writing, Michigan Excellence in Journalism Awards. Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society, Mary Moy Quan Ing Scholarship.
INTERESTS
Runner of 80 marathons and 13 ultramarathons, 3rd dan black belt in tae kwon do and mommy to two awesome kids.
LANGUAGES AND SKILLS
Fluent in Spanish and conversational in Cantonese. Web site creation with Dreamweaver and Weebly. Experience with blogging, social media, photos, video, CCI, Photoshop, Microsoft Office Suite and various online content management systems.
Freelance Journalist and Editor
September 2009-present. Report and write features, news and content for The Washington Post, Forbes, Crain Communications, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today and Midwest Living, Contributing editor for PolitiFact from 2022-2025. Co-author of the book, "Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America." Passionate about exploring race and identity. Storytelling and editing clients have also included The New York Times, Diversity Woman, National Geographic Family, Caregiving, Subaru Drive, The Lily, The Huffington Post, Chicago magazine, Northwestern University, Energy Times, Fit Pregnancy, the Chicago Navigators, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Willow Creek Community Church and Time Out Chicago. Fact-checked and edited travel books for Avalon.
Executive Director of Communications
The Evangelical Covenant Church
January 7. 2019-February 29, 2020. Served as editor-in-chief of the Covenant Companion, the ECC’s bimonthly magazine, named best 2019 denominational magazine by the Associated Church Press and the Evangelical Press Association. Led the denomination’s communications team in storytelling, branding, video, photography, printing, resourcing, branding and curricula efforts throughout the denomination. Cast vision as part of the ECC’s senior leadership team. Handled the ECC’s public relations. Reported and wrote cover stories and features for the magazine and website from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chile and Alaska.
Detroit Free Press, Features Staff Writer
Feb. 7, 2004 - Aug. 14, 2009. Features general assignment reporter. Explored race and ethnicity issues, domestic violence and the death of the only female soldier from Michigan in Iraq. Wrote lifestyle, travel, profiles, entertainment, ethnic, work life and fitness stories. Travel coverage included on Chinatowns and hiking in Peru. Started with paper on metro and community desks.
The New York Times, Reporting Intern
June 30, 2003-Sept. 30, 2003. Wrote for City, Metro and The Arts sections, including stories on blind photographers, Chinese Latinos, Indian integration in Queens and a Chinese-American hip-hop artist.
Los Angeles Times, Reporting Intern
June 24, 2002-Sept, 1, 2002. Wrote for Metro and Health sections. Covered land disputes. Wrote enterprise stories about labor organizing and about a fitness class called “yoga booty ballet.”
The Miami Herald, Reporting Intern
April 1, 2002-June 13, 2002. Wrote for Metro section in Broward County and also worked on copy desk. Wrote about breaking news and civic and political involvement among Asian Americans.
Detroit Free Press, Reporting Intern
June 11, 2001-Sept. 1, 2001. Covered breaking news and features in Oakland County and metro Detroit. Filed FOIA requests. Wrote about Eminem’s court issues, commercialization of BMX and martial arts.
Chicago Tribune, Reporting Intern
June 6, 2000-July 22, 2000. Wrote stories out of the Tribune’s Washington, D.C. bureau about young voters and resistance to antibiotics.
Daily Herald, Reporting Intern
July 24, 2000-September 11, 2000.Covered education beat in DuPage County. June 1999-September 1999. Covered general news and features. January 1998.DuPage Bureau’s first high school intern. Wrote about bomb squad.
ELECTED EXPERIENCE
Member of the Barrington 220 Community Unit School District Board of Education 2021-present. First elected to the school board in 2021 in an 11-person race for four spots; re-elected in 2025 in a 6-person race for four spots. Serve on the school board’s policy committee and represented the board twice as a delegate to the Illinois Association of School Board’s General Assembly. Also rotate on 220’s district equity team and PTO presidents council. Accomplishments include implementing free, full-day kindergarten throughout the district, saving taxpayers $7.5 million by not issuing debt service extension base bonds during the height of inflation, implementing a $147 million referendum on time and under budget to enhance all school buildings and passing a $64 million referendum to build a new community auditorium and STEAM spaces, as well as strengthen safety and security.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Enumerator, U.S. Census Bureau, July 2020-present, April 2010-July 2010. Visited residents in Cook County complete 2020 and 2010 U.S. Census interviews. Field tech, equipment manager and election judge for Cook County Clerk's Office from election cycles 2015-present.
EDUCATION
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. Evanston, IL. June 2003.
Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Magna Cum Laude. Honors and double major in history. Wrote thesis on the Chinese in Mexicali, Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. Studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain.
Wheaton Academy, West Chicago, IL. June 1999.
Salutatorian, Co-founder and editor-in-chief of Voices, the school newspaper. “Daily Herald” high school columnist.
AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
Co-director of the freelance affinity group for the Asian American Journalists Association and past president of the AAJA Chicago and Michigan chapters. American Society of Journalists and Authors member; Member of the Board of Education in Illinois District 220; Northwestern University Alumni Admission Council member; American Association of Sunday and Features Editors Diversity fellowship recipient; AAJA Michigan Presidents Award. Best denominational magazine (Covenant Companion), Associated Church Press and Evangelical Press Association. Award of Merit for In-Depth Coverage, Associated Church Press. Third Place for Feature Writing, Michigan Excellence in Journalism Awards. Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society, Mary Moy Quan Ing Scholarship.
INTERESTS
Runner of 80 marathons and 13 ultramarathons, 3rd dan black belt in tae kwon do and mommy to two awesome kids.
LANGUAGES AND SKILLS
Fluent in Spanish and conversational in Cantonese. Web site creation with Dreamweaver and Weebly. Experience with blogging, social media, photos, video, CCI, Photoshop, Microsoft Office Suite and various online content management systems.