I read sociology and psychology at Singapore Management University. It was there that my passion for people and music truly took root. During that time, I volunteered with the Singapore Red Cross Society and the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), and performed at major venues and events such as the Esplanade and Mosaic Music Festival. A pivotal moment came when I performed at the charity concert, "From Singapore with Love", which raised funds for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. That experience sparked a deep desire to apply music more meaningfully in people's lives. In my search, I discovered music therapy and never looked back.

After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a major in music therapy, I turned down a prestigious opportunity to study at Harvard. Instead, I decided to deepen my clinical practice at a humble liberal arts college, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Over the years, I worked across a range of settings: medical (AdventHealth Orlando), research and education (Singapore Management University), mental health (Institute of Mental Health, Singapore), and special education (Extraordinary People Limited, Singapore). These experiences, alongside working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, shaped my research interests in the intersections of culture, music, and health.

Against this backdrop of research interests, I pursued my doctoral studies at the University of Sheffield, under the wonderful and supportive supervision of Nikki Dibben and Renee Timmers. My doctoral project, "mUSic or musIc?: Examining the role of self-construal in affective experiences with music across cultures", explored how individual and cultural identities shape emotional responses to music. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), working with amazing mentors Stefan Friedrichsdorf, Julene Johnson, and Sheri Robb. My current research focuses on how music therapy can support pediatric pain management and palliative care, and I'm excited to continue exploring the power of music in promoting health and well-being.