Tina Yong explores the nuances missing from debates around the immigration experience, drawing from her own tumultuous immigration journey as well as the stories of others.

Why you should listen

As a reporter, researcher and competitive debater, Tina Yong is full of curiosity. When she immigrated to Canada at the age of ten, she gained a deep appreciation for the country's multiculturalism but discovered assimilation to be a difficult process -- one that is not talked about with nuance in mainstream diaspora discourse. She embarked on a personal and intellectual journey to understand the immigration experience and how it fits in with today's sociopolitical landscape.

Yong is currently completing her bachelor's degree in political science honors at the University of British Columbia. When she's not reading academic papers about niche but fascinating topics like botanical sexism or the origins of vocal fry, she can probably be found debating with strangers, in person or on the internet.

Tina Yong’s TED talk