Current Fellows in Education, Health, and Arts

Yale-China Fellow at Yali High School

Born and raised in New York City, Julia Arancio (she/her) graduated in May 2023 from Yale University with a degree in Film & Media Studies. She has been studying Chinese for eight years and she is thrilled at the opportunity to finally live and work in China. During her time at Yale, Julia was very involved with the student film community on campus. She was the President of the Yale Film Alliance and she produced many short films. She also worked in the Yale Film Archive. In China, she is looking forward to meeting her students, traveling the country, and improving her Chinese skills. She is immensely grateful for the opportunity and she can’t wait to speak, learn, listen, eat, and explore as much as she possibly can.

Yale-China Fellow at Chinese University of Hong Kong

Alison is from Los Angeles, California and graduated from Yale University in 2023 with a B.A. in English. Her academic work focused on English poetry, and she wrote her thesis on the influence of Shakespearean tragedy on William Wordsworth. In the summer of 2022, she lived and worked in Wordsworth’s house, Rydal Mount, where the poet lived from 1813-1850. She has previously spent summers interning at the ACLU’s Prison Project and at the US Embassy in London. At Yale, Alison served as President of the Yale Political Union — the nation’s oldest and largest student debate organization — and she has also been involved with local Connecticut politics and advocacy. Outside the classroom, Alison enjoys writing poetry, hiking, and reading lots of fiction. In 2025, she will be matriculating at Harvard Law School via the Junior Deferral Program, and she can’t wait to spend her two-year deferral period exploring Hong Kong!

Yale-China Fellow at Xiuning MiddleSchool

Angelreana is from Springfield, Missouri and graduated from Yale in 2023 with a B.A. in Economics and an Education Studies certificate. At Yale, Angelreana worked at the Asian American Cultural Center for four years and was Co-Head Peer Liaison her senior year, was Head of the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund's Community Investment team, interned at the Connecticut Children's Museum as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow, and ran her own Asian storytelling podcast. Angelreana is looking forward to planning creative and interactive lessons for and academically and emotionally supporting her students. She is also excited to engage in deep reflection, grow her language skills, and push her understanding of open-mindedness and appreciation for different cultures while in China.

Doug Murray Fellow at Xiuning Middle School

Tyler is from El Paso, Texas, and graduated from Yale University with an M.A. in East Asian Studies where he concentrated on modern Chinese history and political economy. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Chinese Studies from the University of Houston in 2019 and attended Peking University in 2017 and 2018 as part of the Chinese Government Scholarship Program.

Tyler is excited to join the Yale-China and Xiuning family, and for the opportunity to teach students while exploring Huangshan and historic southern Anhui.

Yale-China Fellow at Xiuning Middle School

Matthew graduated from Yale in 2022 with a B.A. in History. While planning to attend University of Florida College of Medicine in 2024, he welcomes the opportunity to take part in the Yale-China Fellowship.

Matthew is looking forward to his role as an educator. He is especially eager to build relationships with his students. At Yale, he developed an interest in mental health working as a Walden Peer Counselor and starting his own online emotional support counseling club. He hopes to open avenues for his students to explore and prioritize their mental health while teaching foundational social-emotional skills that are often lacking in traditional learning environments.

He looks forward to integrating into the Xiuning community, building his language skills, and exploring his hobbies (dancing, rock climbing, and being outdoors). He welcomes the adventures and growth to come!

Yale-China Fellow at Chinese University of Hong Kong

Born and raised in China, Kevin moved to Vancouver at age 14 and graduated from Yale in 2023 with a B.A. in History concentrating on Politics, Law, and Government. His thesis examined Yale’s involvement in brokering diplomatic relations between the American and Japanese Empires during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. Outside of academia, Kevin was heavily involved in music and community service at Yale. This past year, he served as the president of Yale Rotaract and as an officer in the Yale Glee Club. He also performed as a lead in the 17th century Venetian opera “La Doriclea” produced by the Yale Baroque Opera Project. Kevin hopes to continue singing at CUHK and to connect Yale Rotaract with Rotary clubs in Hong Kong to propose new international projects.

Kevin is eager to embrace life in Asia after a longue-durée. He aims to experience Hong Kong through the eyes of Hongkongers, especially in this moment of political turbulence and anxiety. He is grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in a place that is both strange and familiar, and to plunge headlong into teaching the subjects that he loves.

Yale-China Fellow at Yali High School

Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Gulminay graduated from Yale with a B.A. in History in 2022. She is thrilled about teaching for the first time in China, as she hopes to work in education policy going forward. At Yale, her focus was on South Asian history, but she now plans to delve deeper into Chinese history while in Changsha. She is eager to experience the intersection of China’s historical legacy and developing future. She is particularly excited to learn Mandarin and explore Chinese culture as she has never done so before and believes that such a rare opportunity will help her grow and learn greatly.

Gulminay is delighted to join the Yale-China community, to take on her first professional role, meet the students at Yali High School, and immerse herself in new hobbies in Changsha. She is grateful for the opportunity to study a new language and absorb a new culture and cannot wait to begin teaching!

Yale-China Fellow at Chinese University of Hong Kong

Araceli joins Yale-China from her hometown of Glendale, Arizona. She graduated with a B.S. in molecular, cellular, developmental biology and hopes to pursue global health with a focus on policy in the future. Prior to joining the fellowship, Araceli has conducted research on the impacts of religion and social capital on minority health during COVID and wet lab research on an alternative stroke therapy.

Araceli looks forward to exploring life in Hong Kong, drinking milk tea, and seeing what serendipity this experience has in store.

Yale-China Fellow at Yali High School

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Anna Tran Mei En 美恩 (she/they) is an aspiring public health educator with a particular interest in urban health care disparities. Graduating from Yale University in 2022 with a B.A. in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health, their research tracks the histories of community-based health care, China's barefoot doctor ideology with the rise of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and redefines patient power in New York City communities of color during the 1970s. Anna has also worked with the Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator (CTRA) at the Yale School of Medicine as part of the Kidney Biobank project, with a 2022 publication on utilizing urine testing as a non-invasive procedure to differentiate glomerular from tubulointerstitial kidney diseases. Prior to research, Anna has also worked as a Public Health Educator for Peers (PHEP) and volunteered with Matriculate, a nonprofit organization helping low-income students apply for college. They are excited to cultivate new relationships with their students and learn what it means to be an educator.

Staying true to their Sino-Vietnamese roots, Anna is constantly trying to maintain their language skills in Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, and Vietnamese all at once, which helps them feel closer to home when they're far away. They are an avid fan of drumming, crocheting, listening to music, watching dramas, and cooking challenging recipes.

Yale-China Fellow at Xiuning Middle School

Taylor is from Dalton, Georgia, and graduated from Yale University in 2023 with a B.A. in Linguistics and an Advanced Language Certificate in Korean. She is passionate about grammatical diversity and is excited to explore regional linguistic dialects within China.

At Yale, Taylor worked in the Office of Student Affairs at Yale Law School, where she helped organize student wellness events like the weekly “Tuesday Tea Time.” She hopes to continue to prioritize student wellness and language proficiency during her tenure as a Yale-China Fellow.

Taylor is an avid fan of Taylor Swift, Stardew Valley, and Studio Ghibli, which is to say she loves anything that fits into the “cottagecore” aesthetic. She is thrilled to join the Yale-China family and looks forward to meeting and working with the Xiuning students, faculty, and staff.

Yale-China Fellow at Chinese University of Hong Kong

Born and raised in Maryland, Amy graduated from Yale in 2021 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science. Her senior thesis was conducted with the Affective Science and Culture Lab and examined shifts in individuals’ emotional domains after they moved to new cultural contexts. Amy enjoyed volunteering in New Haven, and she was also involved with the Asian American Cultural Center, the Yale Farm, and her residential college community. She is excited to teach and grow in Hong Kong for the next two years.

Yale-China Fellow at Yali High School

Isa Zou (she/her) graduated from Yale in 2023 with a B.A. in Ethnicity, Race and Migration and designation as a Yale Journalism Scholar. She’s a writer focusing on race, religion, and justice, and her work is based in structural analyses and explores difference and power across axes of race, class, gender, and sexuality. She’s worked at the Texas Tribune and the Connecticut Mirror. At Yale, she served as editor in chief of the Yale Daily News Magazine, a monthly publication for narrative journalism, fiction, poetry, and the arts. She’s worked for the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective since 2020 and is passionate about curricular and pedagogical approaches that support students’ beings and critical consciousnesses. She’s also a singer and dancer, singing with the Yale Glee Club and Whim ‘n Rhythm and dancing with the Yale Modern Dance Collective. She’s excited to bring her artistic interests and passion for education to China as she builds relationships with students and teachers, grows as an educator, and connects with her roots. She loves cooking, talking about Texas, and dancing in heels.

Chinese Teaching Fellow at Edgewood School

Victor Yin was born and raised in a mountainous area of the southwestern part of Hunan Province. He graduated from Shaanxi Normal University with a B.A. in English Language Teaching. Having served as a high school English teacher in Yali High School for 9 years, he believes that he should not only teach students the English language but also help them learn the culture behind the language. Living and working in the US will help give him valuable first-hand experiences of American culture. As a Yale-China Chinese Teaching Fellow at Edgewood School in 2023-2024, he is eager to share with his American students the Chinese language and Chinese culture. He also wishes to do volunteer work for the community in his free time to learn more about the community, meet more people, and contribute to the community.

Chinese Teaching Fellow at Clinton Avenue School and Fair Haven School

Leah is thrilled to be part of this year’s Chinese teaching fellow for Yale-China! She graduated from Renmin University of China and is previously an dedicated English teacher for 7th to 9th graders. As an English teacher, her goal is to empower her students with the ability to communicate effectively in English while appreciating the richness of both Chinese and Western cultures. Before her journey in New Haven, she volunteered at the Confucius Institute in University College Dublin, where she further honed her teaching skills and embraced the cultural exchange between China and Ireland.
Being part of the Yale China Association, she is really excited to contribute to its mission of promoting educational and cultural exchange between China and the United States. In New Haven, she looks forward to collaborating with fellow educators, sharing insights, and creating a positive impact on the lives of students, and to exploring more of American culture.

Chinese Teaching Fellow at John C. Daniels

Yan Bo was born in Hunan and graduated from Changsha University of Science and Technology and Hunan University. His bachelor degree was in electronic information. But he became very interested and enthusiastic about English learning and education, so he decided to get his master’s degree of education in Hunan University, majoring in English teaching. He has been teaching English for five years, two years in a high school in his hometown and three years in Yali Lugu Middle School in Changsha. He has a wide range of hobbies and enjoys music and basketball. He really cherishes this opportunity to be in United States and get involved in local American community. He regained his zeal in learning English and felt quite excited to immerse himself in an English-speaking environment. He is looking forward to meeting students from different countries and teaching Chinese in New Haven public schools which will better his understanding of American education system and culture. He believes that this program will not only improve his proficiency in English, but also it can promote his teaching professionalism.

NHPS Language Fellow at Metropolitan Business Academy

Nick is a senior at Yale University pursuing a double major in Global Affairs and Urban Studies and a Certificate of Advanced Language Study in Chinese. Originally from Chicago, Nick grew up in a bicultural Taiwanese-American household and is passionate about building cross-cultural understanding through education and exposure. Outside of YUNA, Nick works as a First-Year Counselor in Pauli Murray College and recently served as the Secretary-General of the Yale Model United Nations Taiwan VIII conference. In his free time, Nick enjoys cooking with friends, curating Spotify mood playlists, exploring new cities, and photography.

NHPS Language Fellow at Co-op High School

Devin is a first-year student at Yale College. Although currently undecided, he has interests in Economics and Political Science. Originally hailing from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Devin now calls the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens his home. He is passionate about making a difference in his community, and is interested in a career in education. In his free time, Devin enjoys playing soccer with his suitemates, and listening to podcasts.

Devin is excited to be a NHPS Language Fellow, and help students discover and explore the nuances of Chinese language and culture.

2nd Year New Haven Free Public Library Fellow

Naomi is a senior in Yale College majoring in Global Affairs and pursuing a Chinese Certificate. Aside from being a NHFPL fellow, she also manages the art studio in her residential college, provides academic mentorship for first-generation and low-income undergraduates, and serves as a student deacon at her church. Naomi grew up spending long summer days at her local library, where she developed a deep appreciation for the joy of reading in community. Although she isn't a native Mandarin speaker, she loves taking Chinese classes at Yale and hopes to live in Taiwan after graduation. Outside of Yale, you can find Naomi wandering around New Haven craft stores or searching for top-notch bagels.

New Haven Free Public Library Fellow

Arantxa is a junior in Yale College studying English and East Asian Studies with a concentration on China. Outside of serving as a NHFPL Fellow, she works as a residential college aide, facilitates English conversation groups at the Office of International Students & Scholars, and translates for the Law School. As a past English learner, Arantxa's love of the library began in childhood, when she spent hours devouring library books and immersing herself in American culture at her local library. She is a non-native Mandarin speaker but enjoys learning languages alongside her English and East Asian Studies classes at Yale. When she has free time, Arantxa enjoys going on long walks, cooking Peruvian food, or discovering her next favorite book.

New Haven Free Public Library Fellow

Lynn Lee (she/her) is a junior from Hong Kong and Seoul, South Korea majoring in History with certificates in Chinese and Education Studies. At Yale, Lynn is heavily involved with Yale Model United Nations Taiwan and the Communication and Consent Educators program. She also serves as a Chinese Language Representative for the Richard U. Light Fellowship. In her free time, Lynn enjoys exploring new running trails and catching up with old friends over coffee.

2023 Chia Health Fellow

A PhD student at Central South University, Xiuwen Chen is a charge nurse in the Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. With eight years of experience in child health research, she has published more than 20 professional papers in academic journals.

• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zhao Ni, Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Nursing, a faculty lead of the Yale Office of Global Affairs & Planetary Health, and the Director of International Academic Partnerships

• Fellowship Project: “Investigation and Intervention Study on Self-Medication in Children by Parents in Western Hunan of China”

2023 Chia Health Fellow

Sha Wang is a charge nurse in the Emergency Intensive Care Unit at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. With seven years of nursing experience, she has published several academic articles with a particular focus on geriatric nursing and nursing safety management.

• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanne Iennaco, Professor of Nursing co-appointed in Psychiatry at Yale University and Director of the Clinical Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the Yale School of Nursing

• Fellowship Topic: “Application of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Rural Left-Behind Elderly with Subthreshold Depression in Western Hunan

2023 Yale-China Health Fellow

A faculty member in the School of Nursing at Kunming Medical University, Xin Wen got her master's degree in nursing from the West China School of Medicine in 2018. Her research interests are in nursing education and geriatric care with a focus on chronic disease management of the elderly.

• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Xiaomei Cong, Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing

• Fellowship Project: The Influence of Individual and Family Self-Management on Quality of Life, Mental Health, Social Relationships in the Elderly with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

2023 Yale-China Health Fellow

With Ph.D. from the Peking University Health Science Center, Lihua Zhang has been an endocrinologist for more than twenty years and works as Deputy Chief Physician at the Department of General Medicine of the First Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University. Lihua’s research focuses on diabetic kidney and endocrine hypertension.

• Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lei Chen, Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and of Emergency Medicine, and affiliated faculty at the Yale Institute for Global Health

• Fellowship Project: Structured Treatment & Education Program (STEP) in Improving Metabolic Control and Psychological Outcomes of Female Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Yunnan Rural Community.