Passion Projects
Chinese Blog
My Chinese blog started as a personal diary of my experiences as a Chinese immigrant student at a predominately white high school in the United States. As my readership grew, I began to write posts answering FAQ from my readers: “How do I make friends in the U.S.?” or “How do I become involved in extracurricular leadership?” Over time, I converted my experiences in residence life and leadership involvements into useful tips and workshops for my Chinese audience. As of now, my WeiBo has over 65,000 followers and over 10,000 daily viewership. In 2020, my blog posts reached over 10 million views.
From 2017 to 2019, I started a vlog series called "ArielxNYU" to document my graduate school adventures. Some of my Weibo posts have been reposted at here.
Psychin’Out
Psychin’Out was founded in 2020 by a group of students and gap year professionals applying to psychology-related graduate programs. Our mission was to foster a supportive, rather than competitive, atmosphere supporting each other during one of the toughest application cycles. Since then, our community has grown and developed several programs to further achieve the goal to foster community and dismantle barriers, one of which is our Redirection series in the summer of 2022. This series will start with a roundtable as a space for us to process rejection. In June-July, we will be hosting 5 workshops on the following topics: gap year planning, post-bacc job search, networking, resume/cv/cover letter, and lab manager/research assistant 101.
Mental Health Support for International Students in the U.S. during COVID-19
This session provide unique insights into the mental health issues and needs of international students in the United States while they study, live, and survive in a foreign country apart from their primary support system back home as a marginalized group during COVID-19. The session will also provide how student affairs professionals and faculty can support international student mental health by providing culturally sensitive services and support.
Racism & Racialized Identities: The Experience of International Students of Color in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Movement have shifted the priorities and conversations in U.S. higher education. Yet, the nuanced experience of international students of color has not been well-attended to until recently. In this two-part webinar series co-sponsored by the Commission for the Global Dimensions of Student Development and the Commission for Social Justice Education, panels of international students of color will share their experiences with race, racism, and racialized identities in the U.S. and how higher education can provide better support and advocacy for them.
Since January - How Chinese Student Affairs Professionals Navigate COVID-19
Working in higher education as a Chinese person, I had the opportunity to witness two systematic and social responses to COVID-19 in a space that often values and promotes equity, access, and safety. In this blog post, Ariel reached out to four colleagues and interviewed their experiences navigating COVID-19 as a Chinese staff working in U.S. higher education. Together, their stories reflected ways that student affairs tend to operate on a western-centric lens, and how certain decisions impact their professional and personal lives.
Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones
How are universities in China and the U.S. responding to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19? In dealing with the crisis, how are student affairs professionals “crossing the river by feeling the stones”?
unCoVer - Stories in the Time of COVID-19
“unCoVer” is dedicated to amplifying the voices of those in and beyond China affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak . This post has been published in the Asian American Feminist Antibodies as well, a zine published by Asian American Feminist Collective and Bluestocking NYC.
Three months ago, Jing Guo had just moved to Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. In this conversation with her long-time friend, Guo shares her experience living in the quarantined Wuhan. She discusses how she has managed her personal well-being in a stressful time while proactively reaching out and building connections for a purpose.
Higher Ed Geek #SAGeeks Blog
The Higher Ed Geek #SAGeeks series is all about celebrating the geeky and nerdy sides of all of us working in higher education and student affairs. The following posts were written by Ariel Tan sharing how she integrated her geeky hobbies into her academics and profession.