Hello :)
I was born and raised on a small rural island in northern China. When I was little, radio and newspapers were the only mediums to know what's happening outside. In 2002, I owned my first personal IBM laptop, and the world finally came to connect with me.
I am a first generation college student. I earned my B.A. in journalism and media studies at Ritsumeikan University of Japan. I am now a Ph.D. candidate in communications (minor: sociology) in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison of the United States.
My research interests lie in political communication and global communication, employing a range of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to study the intricate relationship between information, technology, and democracy in multiple cultural contexts. Building upon my academic background in communications, sociology, and journalism and my expertise in the regions of Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States, my study centers around online political behaviors, collective action, and journalism to understand communication and democracy.
I love skiing, paddle boarding, and martial arts.
📧 xsun95 at wisc dot edu