I started playing go in high school about 15 years ago. I've played go in Blacksburg, ABQ, and DC, although I've haven't gone to a club regularly in years. I'm also involved in the AGA as secretary and chair for the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion. The majority of my non-go playing life is spent on neuroscience research.

I started playing go in college in Baltimore about 14 years ago. Since I moved to Chicago for graduate school in 2010, I haven't played as much go in person – although one of my claims to fame is playing the most AGA-rated games of any woman in 2007! Currently, I am also Chair of the Board of the AGA, Congress Coordinator for the AGA, and a member of the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion.

I started playing as a teenager, and quickly wanted more friends to play with. I was active online until around 2012, and had created two clubs (one in high school, and one in college) to find other players and teach new folks how to play. After not playing for several years as I struggled to graduate and entered the work force, I came back to playing go in late 2019 after remembering that it's an excellent brain game, hoping to improve some cognitive issues from chronic migraines and to have fun with a hobby I loved while being stuck at home (both from migraine issues and Covid-19 quarantine measures). I'm currently active on OGS with exceptions for work deadline periods, with a strong preference for correspondence games.

I am personally very proud that this womxn's go club is getting off the ground, and am hoping that the go playing community will continue to become more inclusive of folx from all walks of life. As a queer woman, is is important to me that we as a community create space for everyone to enjoy this game we all love, without fearing that the things that make them who they are might make them a target of hurtful behavior.

My background is pretty much the same as Karoline Li's! Growing up, we had the Davis/Sacramento Go Club meetings at our house. Since attending my first Congress in 1998, I haven't missed one! I volunteer for the E-Journal and help with local/online tournaments when I can. I am a first-year law student at UC Hastings. Maybe I can start a Go Club there in the future : )

Go is a family tradition for us - we learned as soon as we were old enough not to eat the stones. My dad and his best friend Yoshi Sawada alternated between "serious" Go lessons and Go stone slight-of-hand. My first US Go Congress was in Santa Fe in 1998, and our summers were built around Go Congresses and the AGA Go Camp, first as a camper and then as a counselor. Currently I'm the Archivist for the AGA, as well as the Assistant Managing Editor for the AGA E-Journal.

Go is very important to me as my dad is a professional Go player in China and my grandparent was a super fan of Go. My first US Go Congress was in 2013 in Santa Barbara. The Go scene is a lot different in the US in that people mostly just want to have fun and are way less cut-throat. I am currently an assistant treasurer in the American Go Foundation.