In 2021, during the height of the Stop Asian Hate movement, I found myself turning to Excel to map out my plans for the future.

That period was difficult because it felt like a reckoning that forced me to confront not only the discrimination that I faced but also the parts of my upbringing I had left unexplored. It was, in many ways, a call to action.

Over two months ago, I made the leap to move from the little town of Greenville, South Carolina, United States, to fly across the world to Shanghai, China. It was a decision I’d toyed with for years but never overthought. It felt right, even though it also felt impossibly big.