Author. Illustrator. STEMinist.
I was born in Hong Kong and raised in Livermore, California. Growing up, some of my favorite books were the ones that taught concepts through pictures: visual dictionaries, The Way Things Work, and Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guides.
As far as I can remember, drawing was one of my favorite activities. I started out by drawing cartoon characters, making comics, and doodling in my class notes. When I was an undergrad at the University of California Berkeley, a teaching assistant noticed my artwork and asked me to make illustrated handouts for the students. The handouts caught the attention of a lecturer, who became the advisor for my graduate research project, Computer Science Illustrated, a series of illustrated guides that taught computer science concepts through cute characters and visual metaphors. After receiving my Master's, I went into developing virtual reality experiences and continued drawing in my free time. Then, I recalled the picture books I enjoyed and started creating educational illustrations, both to motivate myself to learn new things and to share that knowledge with others.
When I'm not illustrating STEM concepts or creating books, I draw a lot of sharks, strange creatures, and doodles that capture my random thoughts.