My Story

I am a second-generation Hong Kong Canadian (she/her), raised by working class immigrants in the Chinese-Canadian restaurant industry on the lands of the Shuswap peoples. Due to systemic factors like racism and patriarchy, I grew up with a parent who struggled with their mental health and lacked the support and care they needed.

As a means of survival in a predominantly white town, I spent a significant period of my childhood and youth denying my cultural identity in an effort to assimilate. I also did not have the privilege of my culture being readily accessible to me. I still grieve the loss of most of my Cantonese, my mother tongue, and the lack of opportunity to learn Toisanese, my father tongue.

In my early adulthood, my cultural awareness and interest in this part of my identity grew. To this day, I continue to find ways of resisting internalized white supremacy, reclaiming my cultural identity, and connecting with my ancestors. 

In my lifetime, I have had my own challenges with mental health. Believing in the value of professionals with lived experience led me to work in mental health care for both the non-profit sector and public health system. Recognizing that the counselling/therapy field is predominantly white and wanting to distance myself from the mental health industrial complex, I began work in private practice. With more autonomy over my practice, I am determined to continue supporting people of marginalized identities and their allies. 

Outside of my work, I love spending quality time with my loved ones, expanding my repertoire of baking both traditional and contemporary Asian recipes, building my Chinese food art collection, and learning hip-hop and Afro dance. One of my life’s goals is to experience as much of this diverse world as possible through travel and eating regional cuisines.