Our Team

Andrea studied at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he focused on education in Chinese rural reform policies and the New Socialist Countryside Campaign. Andrea served as a director of Princeton University's Interact Program, bringing political education to underprivileged high-school students in the Trenton City area. In 2007, during a year of study at Tsinghua University, he founded Teach For China to aid in China's ongoing effort to rectify educational inequality.

Rachel is a graduate of Yale University, where she focused on rural development and international policy in the developing world. In 2004, she moved to China in order to serve for two years as a Yale-China Teaching Fellow in the English Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, teaching a full course load and researching Chinese non-profit culture and governance. Rachel began working in the Beijing non-profit sector in 2006, and has spent extensive time in China's rural areas and low-income schools. She and Andrea met in 2008, while studying at Tsinghua University, and began working together to create Teach For China.

Meredith is a non-profit consultant and has worked with a wide variety of organizations around issues of strategic importance. Most recently she worked with the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center to help them finalize their strategic plan and to provide support in the development of a new program for youth wellness, involving multiple government and private partners. Prior to that role, she worked as a non-profit consultant with the Bridgespan Group, a consulting firm that helps nonprofit and philanthropic leaders in the hard work of de veloping strategies and building organizations that inspire and accelerate social change. Before consulting, Meredith worked in program management, development, and volunteer coordination for an educational nonprofit and started a social justice documentary filmmaking organization. She has a real passion for social change, both in the US and internationally. She has lived/studied in the US (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and California) and Latin America (Chile and Mexico).  

 

Sarabeth is a graduate of Barnard College, where she majored in Urban Studies. In 2005 and 2006, Sarabeth worked at Seeds of Peace International Camp, a program promoting trust and communication between Arab and Israeli teenagers. In 2006, Sarabeth moved to China as a Henry Luce Scholar, based at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. She relocated to Beijing in 2007 to work as the Program Director of BeijingDance / LDTX, managing tours and artistic collaborations in Asia, Europe and North America as well as producing the annual Beijing Modern Dance Festival. She comes to TFC with a strong interest in education and a deep belief in cross-cultural initiatives.

Tingting was born and educated in Henan Province, and moved to Beijing to study at Tsinghua University. In 2008, she graduated from Tsinghua with a Masters degree from the History Department. Ting Ting has a strong interest in education; during her tenure as a student she frequently served as a commissioner of Tsinghua's foreign exchange program, and also served for a year as director of Tsinghua's Commercial Outreach Program. Ting Ting has experience working as a full-time classroom teacher at Tsinghua's renowned Inter-University Program.

Leah graduated from Barnard College with a degree in History and Spanish. While at Barnard, she taught arts education through the Guggenheim Museum's Learning Through Art program, and conflict resolution in bilingual New York City elementary schools. After a year in the corporate sector in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Leah moved to China in 2009 to serve as External Relations Liaison to a public high school in Guangdong Province.
 

Mi is a graduate of Tsinghua University who started her career at the Anbang Insurance Company, where she focused on brand development and public relations. She later served the Inter-University Program as a Chinese teacher for two years, where she developed her interest in working cross-culturally. Zhenhua joins TFC from LatinFinance, a financial magazine, where she has been focused primarily on government and public relations. This past summer, she supported the TFC training program in Lincang, working with many of our Fellows and alumni.

Jessica is a graduate from the University of Maryland where she earned a degree in journalism, government and Asian American studies in 2005. Upon graduation, she joined Teach For America where she taught 6th through 8th grade Special Education on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. During her time in the classroom she led her students to grow more than 2 years average in reading and math, and this spring was excited to see many of her students grade high school and go on to college. After her commitment, Jessica was a Program Director with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and the Washington, D.C., Region where she coached and developed teachers directly for two years. For the past two years, Jessica has been managing the 100-person Special Education team in the Teach For America DC Region where she led the team to dramatically increase their rigor in instruction and student achievement. Jessica has had an interest in rural China education since the start of her career and has been involved with several other education programs since 2005. She’s excited to join the Teach For China family to work with the Training and Support team!

Shannon is a graduate from George Washington University where she earned a degree in Public Health in 2007. Upon graduation, she joined Teach For America where she taught Biology, Anatomy and AP Biology for four years at her original placement school in Denver, Colorado. During her time in the classroom she led her students to the second highest average amongst all traditional high schools on the District Biology Benchmark Exam. In addition to her work in the classroom, she was elected by her peers to serve on the school personnel and leadership committees to recruit and select the most talented teachers to join her school team. In 2009, she worked as a Corps Member Advisor training and developing new Corps Members during Teach For America’s intensive five-week institute. With a personal connection to Chinese culture and a deep commitment to education, Shannon is so excited to join the TFC team to help close the achievement gap in China!

 

Anthony is a graduate of Williams College with a BA in Philosophy and Chinese. He is deeply interested in the role that entrepreneurial non-profits play in addressing chronic social issues and effecting systemic change. During the summer before his senior year, Anthony interned for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in Brooklyn, in addition to coaching SAT math and giving college advice to low-income high school students as a Let’s Get Ready volunteer. After graduation, he moved to a rural primary school on the outskirts of Xi’an, China to teach English, science, music, and computer classes as one of two fellows in the Yongfeng Teaching Fellowship. Anthony is very excited to join a dynamic team that is passionate about making high-quality education a reality to every child in China.

 

Rita graduated from Hamilton College in 2009 with a BA in Chinese and Women Studies. During college, she spent two semesters abroad in China studying at Beijing’s Associated Colleges in China. In 2008, she returned to China to participate in a field studies program focused on engaging in a comparative study of US and China’s contemporary society and educational systems through hands-on projects. She developed an educational development presentation and presented to over 200 Chinese educators and government officials and taught at two day camps in Wuhan and Hainan. Prior to joining Teach For China, Rita spent the last two years working for the Posse Foundation in Boston. She truly believes in Teach for China’s mission and comprehensive program and is thrilled to join the team.

Chi graduated from Middlebury College in 2009 with a degree in East Asian Studies and went on to complete a MSc in Global Media at the London School of Economics. Born in a small town in China where the quality of education was unexceptional at best, she earned a scholarship to study in Singapore at thirteen and has since intimately felt the impact of a strong and inspired education. In 2009 her commitment to education reform in China led her to work on a special curriculum project, where she taught a self-designed seminar and helped manage the program. She is thrilled to be working with a truly dedicated team of staff and Fellows who will be enablers of change and a source of inspiration.

Zabrina completed an MSc at the London School of Economics (UK) in 2009, where her research focused on Globalization and upward social mobility in the Developing World. As a grad student, she presented at the 1st Canada-China Cultural Dialogue in Beijing. Her talk focused on youth, social media and its ability to connect cultures and create movements. Previously, Zabrina received her BA (Hons) from McGill University (Canada) in International Development and Sociology in 2007. She conducted an independent field research project in the slums of Kenya on youth community engagement, capacity-building and social development. Seeing grassroots skills-building in action confirmed to Zabrina that systemic change can be achieved through education. Prior to joining Teach for China, Zabrina worked at several start-ups in Canada and the UK and continues to thrive on the energies of determined, innovative dreamers. Zabrina also remains active as a cultural commentator and producer on Canadian radio.

Pei Yu graduated from Renmin University of China in 2008 with a BA in Business Administration. In college, Peiyu was a active student leader on campus.  With a keen interest in Sino-US relations, along with several friends, Peiyu founded FACES-Renmin, a student organization promoting communication between Chinese and American student leaders. After college, she moved to Shanghai and worked for Unilever’s Marketing Department where she gained experience in brand strategy building and communication. Growing up in Hunan, taught by groups of volunteers from Yale for six years, Peiyu has always known how much better education could bring to under-developed area children in China. She has worked for WorldTeach in Hunan and taught in migrant worker schools, as well as in primary schools after the earth quake in Sichuan.  Peiyu’s passion for education brought her to her present role at TFC.

Fay was born in a small county, Langzhong, in Sichuan and moved to Beijing after she went to college. Fay is a graduate of Beijing Foreign Studies University, where she majored in English literature.  Prior than joining Teach for China, Fay worked for a UPS and UBS in Hong Kong and Beijing as an HR. Her experiences working in global companies provided her understanding of cross-cultural relations and through her previous volunteer activities in rural Beijing and Hebei she developed strong interest in resolving education inequality and realized that she could do more in an organization like Teach for China to work full time on improving education. She finds Teach for China has the most energetic and talented team and is very excited to start her work in recruiting the best people for China’s education.

 

Wei Jiebiao, Graduated from Renmin University of China with a BA in Law. In college, Jiebiao is involved in many social activities, especially in the field of voluntary work. In 2007, as a representative of volunteers of the Beijing Olympic Games, he visited Qingdao, Shanghai, and Hong Kong which were the co-host cities of Beijing Olympic and exchanged experience in voluntary service. Following graduation, Jiebiao worked as a 3rd and 4th grade English teacher in a very underprivileged school in Chongqing for one year. He was deeply shocked by the poor living and learning condition of the students. With a strong sense of social responsibility, he is looking forward to working with a talented group of people who are dedicated to addressing the education inequity in China. After knowing the mission and the approach of Teach For China, he decided to join Teach For China to bridge the gap of educational inequity in China with the fabulous team.

Kelly earned her BA in business administration at Trinity Western University in Canada, and continued to earn a Master degree in applied finance from Macquarie University in Australia. Prior than joining TFC, Kelly has worked as an auditor for KPMG audit firm in Beijing.

Yang Dan graduated from Huazhong Agriculture University. Previously, Yang Dan worked in Shangri-la and Marriott Hotel group for 3 years and looks forward to contributing to the Teach For China team.

Greg majored in Chinese and English literature at Hamilton College, and spent two semesters abroad studying Mandarin at Beijing’s Associated Colleges in China.  His work experience includes fundraising for The Nature Conservancy in both Hong Kong and Yunnan Province, reporting for the China Daily in Beijing, and a summer working in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York.  Before taking on his current post in TFC’s Beijing office, Gregory spent a year teaching 7th grade English in Yunnan province for TFC through a Princeton in Asia fellowship.

 

Evan is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied International History and helped to found the nonprofit IMUSE, which provides a platform for intercultural exchange and dialogue between Chinese and American students. He received a Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize for his research on factional conflict between Chinese immigrants to Mexico in the 1920's. He moved to Beijing in 2009 on a Harvard-Yenching Fellowship, and taught European history at Peking University. He then spent the fall of 2010 working with the microfinance NGO Wokai, documenting and blogging about life in rural China and the impact of microfinance at Wokai's field partner organization in Yilong County, Sichuan. He is thrilled to be back in Bejing and working for an organization with such an inspirational mission and potential for growth.

 

Estalyn is fascinated by the complex history of Sino-US relations and is deeply committed to developing new opportunities for China and the US to collaborate on the most pressing global issues of the day. Estalyn recently completed a master’s degree in international affairs with a focus on international human rights law at Columbia University. She holds a BA in Chinese and international studies from Williams College (Highest Honors) and received the Linen Prize in Asian Studies for her work on the intersection of popular media and politics in China.  Estalyn speaks Spanish and Mandarin and has worked and studied throughout Mainland China.  She received a fellowship from the Council of Women World Leaders to research human rights issues in China and Africa at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.  Prior to her graduate studies, Estalyn joined Teach for America to revitalize the post-Hurricane Katrina school system in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.  

Anastasia was born and raised in Ukraine. She participated in a Ukraine-based program whose mission was to extend excellent educational opportunities to all -- the program provided her with a chance to attend boarding school in Massachusetts. She stayed actively involved with the program throughout college, as she believes in the transformative influence of education. When Anastasia arrived at Smith College, she jumped at the chance to take Chinese classes, but concentrated the bulk of her coursework on European politics and spent her junior year abroad in Paris. Anastasia came back to Smith for her senior year and wrote an honors thesis on the subject of Sino-European relations. Before moving to China in 2009, she had an opportunity to get a better understanding of US-China relations at The Stimson Center, at think tank in Washington DC. She studied in Chengdu, Sichuan, and then moved to Beijing. She is excited about her work at TFC because she shares its ideal of excellent education for all.

 

Hongyi is a graduate of Beijing Language and Culture University where she majored in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. Post-graduation, through her two years teaching at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies, Hongyi learned much about foreign culture and cross-cultural communication. She is most excited that TFC offers a new platform for pushing forward development and change, and for creativity and innovation in the realm of service. TFC’s first Fellow placement community is also close to her hometown of Lijiang.

 

Jonas graduated from Saint Louis University where she studied Political Science, International Studies and History. During college, she spent a year studying abroad in Beijing through The Beijing Center focusing in politics and women's issues. Jonas worked in St. Louis with Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (MADP) and spent many years as an activist and organizer for Amnesty International. After moving to New York, Jonas worked with the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) in contracts and data management. Jonas returned to Beijing to continue Chinese studies at the University of International Business and Economics and after interning with the TFC US Recruiting team joined full time as project manager.

 

Prior to joining Teach For China, Atit worked in the finance and investment management areas. Recently, in 2010, he was also a level III candidate of CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst). While in the U.S., Atit worked for Barclays Global Investors (later merged with BlackRock) as an associate in Derivatives Hedge Funds, where he focused on financial derivatives and hedge funds operations. When he was living in Thailand, he interned at Bank of Thailand and later joined Sasin Consulting Company in Corporate Governance Practice. Atit holds a master degree in Engineering Management System from Columbia University in NYC and a bachelor degree in Statistics from Kasetsart University in Thailand.  

Bonnie joined TFC on the Summer Institute Planning Team and has continued in the role of Deputy Director of Training & Support. Born in China, Bonnie moved to the USA in high school. Bonnie worked as a structural engineer before joining the Peace Corps, where she taught physics in classrooms with 80-100 students for three years in a rural village in Guinea. During her service Bonnie also trained incoming Peace Corps volunteers to become teachers and held teachers’ conferences with Guinean educators. Prior to TFC, Bonnie worked in Mali where she trained Malians to become teachers in a community school in a semi-urban setting, providing on-going service and in-classroom training.

 

Colin was born in South Texas and attended Princeton University, graduating with honors with a degree in Anthropology and a certificate in Near Eastern Studies in 2009. Colin began studying Chinese at Princeton, and first came to China in a professional capacity to work with Beijing Sino-American Expressway. Colin taught seventh grade English at Songgui Middle School last year and contributed to the community by teaching at the local kindergarten once a week and through weekly English corners at the middle school. This year he continues his service in Heqing as a TFC Fellow and Program Manager as the program transitions from a one-year to two-year commitment.

 

Hugh graduated from Zhongshan University History Department, afterwards receiving a PhD in the history of Sino-US relations. Hugh joined TFC as part of the project team and taught history for a year at Songgui Middle School, after which he joined TFC's Training and Support team.

Ken was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, and came to Yunnan by way of Harvard University, where he studied English and American Language and Literature. During his time at Harvard, he worked with the Harvard College in Asia Program, which kindled his interest in rural China and the Chinese education system. During his time as one of TFC's inaugural corps of Fellows, Ken taught eighth grade English and Music at Liuhe Middle School, in rural Heqing County. This year he continues with TFC as a Program Manager in Lincang.

 

Wendy grew up in a small town in Xinjiang Province, and obtained a degree from Shanghai’s Tongji University in Logistics Management. As an undergraduate, Wendy was very active on campus: she established the Tongji University Alumni Association, and regularly organized events promoting Chinese history and culture amongst students. After completing her term of service at Xintun, Wendy has joined TFC as a Program Manager in Lincang. As a TFC fellow, Wendy taught seventh grade Chinese at Xintun Middle School, as well as fourth grade English at the Xintun Elementary School last year.

 

Sara was born and raised in Taiwan and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and Psychology. During and after her studies at Northwestern, her working experience as a special education teacher at a residential camp for children with emotional, social, and cognitive disabilities as well as at various family and children social services organizations brought her to earn a Master degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. She worked extensively with teenaged foster children as a therapist in underserved communities in Chicago and carried out an independent research project to understand the early childcare and education needs for the Chinese immigrants in Chicago. Sara enjoys photography and traveling in rural and underserved communities.

Coral Liang,graduated from Zhongshan University in 2009, majoring in Earth Information Science and Technology. Coral was a fellow with Teach For China from 2009-2010, and now is serving as the new Regional Operations and Strategy Coordinator in Lincang,Yunnan.

Qi is a graduate from Florida International University where he earned a degree in Business Administration in 2009. Upon graduation, he joined Teach For America in Hawaii where he taught math to high school students in North Kohala on the Big Island. During his time in the classroom, he worked with students and fellow teachers to improve students’ math skills and understanding. In 2011, Kohala High School was recognized by the State as the most improved High School due to its significant improvement in the math portion of the Hawaii State Assessment. In addition to teaching, Qixiang was enrolled at the University of Hawaii where he earned a M.Ed. with an emphasis on special education. Qixiang enjoys surfing, playing ultimate Frisbee, cooking, and dancing the tango. He is excited to join Teach For China and be a part of the movement that aims to end the educational inequality in his homeland.

 

Ben grew up in a small town on the north shore of Massachusetts, before moving to California where he attended Pomona College. It was there that he first began studying Chinese, and then continued to do so during a yearlong study abroad in Beijing through The Associated Colleges in China (ACC). During his time in China, Ben participated in a field studies program, where he researched and taught in rural parts of Hubei and Hainan provinces. This experienced is what sparked Ben’s interest in education, particularly in the rural Chinese context. After graduating from college, Ben joined Teach For America, where he taught high school math just north of Denver. Ben is excited to join Teach For China as a Program Manager and bring his background in education and China, to help fellows end educational inequity in their classrooms. When he isn’t working, Ben enjoys hiking, Kayaking, and rock climbing.

 

Megan graduated from William and Mary in 2008 with a BBA in Marketing and a BA in Theatre Arts. After graduation she worked with Teach for America as a corps member in the Mississippi Delta teaching music to elementary school students, where she created a 4th-6th grade instrumental music program. Additionally, she directed a high school choir and co-directed a high school drumline at a local charter school. During her time as a TFA corps member, she also served as a Learning Team Leader, providing professional development specifically for first and second year music teachers. She spent the last year teaching English to 4-16 year olds in Shenzhen, China. Her work with Teach For China uniquely speaks to her interests in education reform, teacher development, and Chinese culture, and she is excited to have an opportunity to work towards educational equality for China’s students.

Rebecca is originally from San Francisco, CA and attended Boston University for a B.A. in Elementary Education. During this time, Rebecca travelled and volunteer taught in Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia. Upon graduating from college, she taught Kindergarten at a public charter school in Anacostia, DC. During her second year, Rebecca also served as the Grade Level Chair. Rebecca joins TFC as Program Manager in Yunnan Province.

Caitlin Fitzpatrick is a graduate of Columbia University, where she earned a B.A. in East Asian Studies and an M.A. in International Affairs. During her time as a graduate student, she had the opportunity to work as a consultant for Ashoka Arab World evaluating the impact and sustainability of Nike-funded sports for girls’ empowerment programs in Egypt. For the past 2 years, she has been working as a second grade teacher in a low-income school in California through Teach for America. She also taught 7th grade Math at a summer program held by First Graduate, an organization that supports students to become the first in their families to graduate from college. Caitlin came to China for the first time during the summer before her junior year of high school, when she taught English at a summer camp in Xinjiang Province and later returned to China to study Chinese at Beijing University. She is excited to support Teach for China teaching fellows to lead their students to transformational academic and personal achievement.  

Ralph attended The University of Leeds to study a BA in Philosophy from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005 Ralph spent a year teaching in the northern port city of Dalian, Liaoning Province where he worked in inner city government primary and middle schools. After a year in Britain Ralph moved to Qingdao, Shandong Province, where he attended The Ocean University for a Foundational Course in Mandarin. Ralph then spent a further two years living in the city continuing his Chinese studies and teaching at an English language institute. In 2009 Ralph returned to the UK to take up a place at the Institute for Development and Management Policy (IDPM) at the University of Manchester to study a Masters in International Development (Poverty, Conflict & Reconstruction). Ralph wrote his dissertation thesis on the impact of education and language policies on the preservation of Uyghur minority culture in Xinjiang. Since the completion of that course Ralph has been teaching English at a language institute in the center of Manchester until joining Teach For China.

Shi Weijing graduated from Central China Normal University, Hankou Campus and got a degree in Chinese literature. For three years, she has utilized her skills and knowledge as an instructor for an education company which teaches elementary school children, helping them learn to better write and read. Weijing is happy to have this great opportunity to address educational inequality in China by working with Teach For China.

Zhang Mengjuan was born in Hefei and after graduated in 2005, she attended Western State College Volunteer Plan in Ninglang to be an English teacher for 3 years, when finished the service, she got National Youth Volunteer bronze medal. In the period of supporting education, she had deep sense of mission for the disadvantage Children. In her opinion, the equitable access to education is a human born with rights, children living in poor area are no exception, they neither need the pity, do not need the charity, just need to get a chance to change destiny. For deep lack of knowledge in teaching working, she attended Yunnan Normal University, graduating with honors with a master degree in Pedagogy. For the same education value, she’s excited to join the Teach For China family to work with the training and support team in Yunnan.

Hallie graduated with honors from Dartmouth College in 2010 with a degree in English Literature and Chinese. She joined TFC directly after graduation. During the 2010-2011 school year Hallie taught seventh, fifth, and third grade English, as well as seventh grade Art. Outside of class, she ran daily help classes for her students and a weekly oral English class to the children of local teachers. Hallie is delighted to return to her original placement school for a second year and to support members of the 2011-2013 cohort in their first year.

Amber Chen comes from Zhuhai City, Guangdong province. She graduated from Shantou University in 2010, majoring in journalism. July 2010, she joined Teach For China, becoming a seventh grade Chinese Language teacher. She is currently teaching at the Linxiang District No.2 Middle School, focus on chinese speaking and writing. In addition to academic performance, she is committed to developing the ability of students and the development of student character. She held a variety of extracurricular activities to broaden her students’ horizons. July 2011, she will become the Assiciated Programme Manager of Teach For China. She will support new fellows in her secondy teaching year.

Christine majored in History and Chinese Economic Studies at the University of Georgia, and spent a semester abroad studying Mandarin at Beijing’s Associated Colleges in China (ACC). Her work experience includes logistical work for the China Program at the Carter Center in Atlanta, substitute teaching for the elementary, middle, and high schools in metro Atlanta, teaching in after school programs in DC public schools with AALEAD, and working as a Veterans Service Representative for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Atlanta. Christine is concurrently a member of Teach for China’s US Selection and Recruiting Team as well as a member of the 2010-2012 cohort of Fellows. As a senior Fellow, Christine is teaching her second year of 7th grade English in beautiful Shaojie, a mountain village in Yunnan province.

Lucas graduated from Colgate University in 2010 with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Intenerational Relations. After graduating from Colgate, he joined Teach for China on the ground where he has been teaching 7th grade English in rural Yunnan's Lincang prefecture. This year, Lucas works on Teach for China's Training and Support Team as an Associate Program Manager. As a senior Fellow, Lucas will also be teaching his second year of 7th grade English at Maolan Middle. He is very excited to be in Yunnan for a second year and continue his work in the movement to bring educational equity to China.

Laura is a Teach For All staff member, seconded to Teach for China to serve as a liaison connecting TFC with the broader Teach For All global network. Laura provides thought partnership to the TFC team and facilitates knowledge-sharing with the global network in order to accelerate TFC’s impact in expanding educational opportunity in China. Prior to joining Teach For All, Laura spent three years working at the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit strategy and management consulting firm. Her work at Bridgespan included a number of strategic planning and organizational development projects for foundations and nonprofits focused on education and youth development in the U.S. She has also worked with Dream Corps International, a nonprofit organization seeking to address education inequity in China by building libraries and organizing community-building activities in disadvantaged rural and urban communities. Laura holds a B.S. in Economics with a second major in Philosophy from Duke University.