Jiayi is a Chinese-American immigrant, raised by working class Chinese parents in San Francisco after moving to the US from China. Jiayi gained her undergraduate degree in Film at UC Berkeley and, since completing her studies, has dedicated herself to journalism in the Bay Area, using her bilingual skills to document struggles, economic hardships, and growing anti-Asian racism in the Bay Area Chinese community. She is invested in telling stories about her local community of new immigrants and the severe problems they face, including a housing crisis, a lack of translation access to non-English speakers, and hate-related violence. As an Asian American documentary filmmaker, she is inspired to use her professional knowledge and production skills to create films and videos about marginalized individuals and groups in the Asian American community and connect to diverse cultures. At UCSC, she plans to deepen her research on Asian American immigrants, women's rights, and social justice.