Raised in China during her early years, Anny Lin immigrated to a small town in Vermont at the age of five. There, she spent her adolescent years navigating through the intricacies of being a daughter of immigrants, an ESL student, and a Chinese-American girl living in predominantly white, English-speaking spaces. For Anny, these early experiences fostered her hopes for creating social change through cross-cultural learning and connection-building

In 2023, Anny received a BA in International Affairs with a concentration in International Development from George Washington University (GWU), becoming the first university graduate in her family. During her undergraduate career, Anny took a course on equitable development in Southeast Asia, which spurred her interest in the region, and most recently, led her to complete a senior thesis that focused on the wellbeing of Rohingya refugee teachers in Bangladesh.

At GWU, Anny was heavily involved with First Gen United, where she supported first-generation college students through mentorship and advocacy. Recently, Anny completed a fellowship with Global Campaign for Education-US, where she supported advocacy strategies, and partnerships with U.S. government agencies, congressional offices and civil society to bolster support for international basic education programs.

As a Program Progression Advisor at Parami University, Anny is excited to build meaningful connections with her students, and to support them in leveraging their liberal arts education to shape their learning during their time at Parami and beyond! Throughout her VIA Fellowship, she is looking forward to expanding her understanding of Burmese and Thai languages, histories, and cultures.