Ms. Lai grew up in Kunming, a small city in southwestern China with temperate year-round weather at an altitude of over 6,000 feet. After moving to the U.S. at the age of 16, she studied engineering and completed her B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley. Years spent as a chip design engineer at a boutique semiconductor company turned out to be intellectually challenging but ultimately unfulfilling. She decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a teacher. Ms. Lai graduated with M.A. in Teaching at University of San Francisco and completed her residency with San Francisco Teacher Residency (SFTR) before joining the Denman family in 2019.

Ms. Lai loves going on long challenging hikes and bike rides in the Marin Headlands with her partner, and doing art projects with her children.