While I was born in China, I grew up in Oregon and consider this place my home. I moved away for a long time after high school, living in Seattle and in Baltimore. In Baltimore the nonprofit I worked for received funding from the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle. While I was never a member, I was really impacted and impressed by the community. When I came back home in 2015 I started looking for something similar in Oregon and I learned about ninety-nine girlfriends. I wanted to be a member but at the time I wasn’t in a place financially to join due to our priorities of starting a family. Shortly after, I learned about the Fellows Program and joined in 2018 as a Fellow. I’ve been part of the organization ever since.

I’ve been involved in many different projects within the organization, the most long standing of which is as a ballot mistress with the amazing Jude Lieberman. Seeing the votes come in every year is something I’ve appreciated being a part of for a long time. I am also on the Governing Board where we verify the financial health of the organization but also keep an eye out for the strategic vision. I’ve been on many advisory boards and councils before but this is my first time serving on the Governing Board of a philanthropic organization, which has proven to be a really great learning experience for me.

I joined ninety-nine girlfriends to meet women like me who are interested in making an impact in the community. I’ve stayed because I continue to meet women unlike me who continue to grow and challenge my perspectives on how to use philanthropy for meaningful impact. There are too many folks that I’ve met over the years to mention them all but I especially wanted to give credit to two of them, Deborah Edward and Barbara Hilyer. They have always helped me think differently about tackling tough challenges and I am grateful for what I have learned from them and others in the organization.