Chiann Tsui

I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I received my Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance as well as Bachelor of Arts degrees in Linguistics and German Languages and Literatures from the University of Michigan. I completed both my MA and PhD in German Studies from Stanford University, and my dissertation focused on the portrayal of China in German modernist literature and its reception in post-Mao China.

I have studied, worked, and lived in Germany, China, and Macau, and have also bounced back and forth in the US between the Midwest, the Southeast, and the West Coast. Prior to coming to GIS, I taught all levels of German language in high school and eighth grade at an independent school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for six years. I am excited about being able to use all my languages (English, German, and Mandarin Chinese) on a regular basis at GIS.

My myriad interests and hobbies currently include learning Egyptian Arabic, knitting sweaters, baking bread, and sleeping in. I am also a former aerial arts enthusiast and capoeirista, and I hope to resume those activities in Portland. I enjoy hiking and biking and am looking forward to exploring all the natural beauty that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.