As it turns out, the fastest way to becoming an editor in chief is to make your own magazine. When I started the Chinese program at Western, I met an incredible professor named Claudia Liu, who was enthusiastic about creating more opportunities for students of the program to use their language skills in ways that would prepare them for future careers. With her guidance and my technical background in print and web design, we were able to create the first ever fully bilingual magazine at Western, hire a couple editors, and publish three issues in the two years I was in the program.
With limited resources, I wore a lot of hats: editor, translator, print layout designer, website designer, and even photographer, but the pay-off of three beautiful printed issues I can cherish forever was worth it.
I hope with all my heart that the Mirror Magazine will continue to thrive and grow, and I'm proud to have been a part of its creation. In the future, I've offered to help out with the magazine as a volunteer if they need me to assist in any way.", "gallery": [ { "img": "mirror_ed2.jpg", "alt": "New Year's Issue", "dialog": "
Chinese New Year, or sometimes referred to as Lunar New Year in other parts of the world, is a major time of celebration in many cultures. It is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one, and is a time for family and friends to gather and share stories and food. This issue of the Mirror Magazine was a special edition celebrating the Year of the Dragon, and featured a variety of articles and stories about the holiday.
This is possibly my favorite issue, because although it was a bit smaller and extremely rushed, it contains the most content contributed by foreign and international students from programs in China, sharing their experiences and perspectives on the new year's holiday and Chinese culture. I think it turned out beautiful with all of the red and gold colors, and I personally took the photo for the cover of a 红包, or red pocket; a traditional gift given to children on the new year's holiday.
Also, as a secret surprise, I enjoyed hiding 9 dragons in various places in the magazine, an auspicious number and reference to the 9 Dragon Scroll featured on pages 12-13. I'm sure you can find them all if you look hard enough.
" }, { "img": "mirror_ed3.jpg", "alt": "Calligraphy Issue", "dialog": "The last issue of the Mirror Magazine I worked on in the Spring of 2024 featured works of calligraphy and articles on classical Chinese arts and literature.
Though the whole issue turned out great, considering our ever-limited resources, my favorite part was having the opportunity to provide the translation of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty's poem below for one of the featured calligraphy pieces. I'm extremely picky about translations of poetry, and feel that they should at least attempt to capture not only the feeling of the words, but something of the rhythm and/or rhyme scheme of the original.
穠芳依翠萼，焕烂一庭中。
零露沾如醉，残霞照似融。
丹青难下笔，造化独留功。
舞蝶迷香径，翩翩逐晚风。
Fragrance effuses lush blooms,
radiant in courtyard bright,
Dewdrops clinging drunkenly,
bathed in sunset's melting light.
Colored paints fail to capture,
that which nature can achieve,
Butterflies follow the scent,
dancing amidst evening breeze."
},
{
"img": "mirrormagazine.jpg",
"alt": "Mirror Magazine Online",
"dialog": "
And of course, what is the point of being a web developer if you can't make your own magazine website? I worked with the tech support team available at Western for clubs and departments to create a website that future editors will be able to login to and manage, hopefully gaining experience as web content managers that can be applied to their future careers.
All the past issues mentioned here are available online, and hopefully the Mirror Magazine will continue to grow and thrive.
" } ] }, { "img": "podcast-mic.jpg", "alt": "Chinese Podcast", "dialog": "After almost a decade working in the tech industry, I decided to change pace a bit and focus more on my other interests, including language learning and writing. I decided to go back to school to officially study Chinese and Creative Writing, and re-enrolled at my alma mater, Western Washington University. I completed an additional minor in English creative writing, and two years of the Chinese language and culture major, but unfortunately I was not able to complete the program before moving out of Bellingham to live closer to my family.
This is an example of the last project I did for my Chinese major, a min-podcast episode giving advice about personal finance to my younger undergrad classmates. This is the last in a series of podcasts I made with classmates that were designed to be shared on the Mirror Magazine website. This also gave me a great excuse to play with audio production and editing. It was quite fun, and I even recorded the intro and outro on the guqin, a classical Chinese zither I've been slowly learning to play.
Please keep in mind that my accent and pronunciation are far from perfect. I was just finishing my second official year of study at the time of this recording, and I'm still learning the language on my own.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "audio.jpg", "audio": "/audio/chinese-podcast-audio.mp3", "alt": "Podcast Audio", "dialog": "同學們、教授們、各位聽眾朋友，大家好！歡迎收聽這個小播客的最後一集。
Fellow students, professors, and dear listeners, hello everyone! Welcome to the final episode of this small podcast.
今年我很高興有這個機會認識了很多同學，聊天，並錄製播客。
This year, I am very happy to have had the opportunity to meet many classmates, chat, and record podcasts.
這個最後一集和別的不太一樣。這一次只是我跟您說話，所以，請讓我再介紹一下我自己。
This last episode is a little different from the others. This time, it’s just me talking to you, so please allow me to introduce myself once more.
我是文玉蘭，目前是一名自由職業者，擔任網站開發人員和顧問。
I am Wen Yulan, and I am currently a freelancer working as a web developer and consultant.
拿到學士學位後，我先在兩家公司工作，然後成為一名自由職業者，之後重返大學學習中文。
After obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I first worked at two companies before becoming a freelancer, and later I returned to university to study Chinese.
最近，和同學的討論讓我想起，許多年輕的大學同學沒有任何理財經驗。
Recently, discussions with my classmates reminded me that many young university students have no financial experience.
因此，作為一名在這些方面有一定經驗的老學生，我想分享一下我的經驗和建議，希望對您有用。
Therefore, as an older student with some experience in these areas, I want to share my experiences and advice, hoping it will be helpful to you.
因為這些都只是我的意見，所以在做任何投資之前，必須做好研究。
Since these are just my opinions, you must do thorough research before making any investments.
課程裡我們學過一些常見的理財方式，比如把錢存在銀行裡，投資股票，買房子，等等。
In the course, we learned about some common financial management methods, such as depositing money in the bank, investing in stocks, buying a house, and so on.
但並不是每種方法都適合學生。以普通大學生為例，他們買房合理嗎？
However, not every method is suitable for students. For example, is it reasonable for a typical university student to buy a house?
對學生來說，開始理財最簡單、最合理的方法就是在銀行開立儲蓄帳戶。但並不是每個賬戶都是一樣的。
For students, the simplest and most reasonable way to start managing finances is to open a savings account at a bank. But not all accounts are the same.
如果銀行的利息太低，那麼仍然可能因為通貨膨脹而賠錢。
If the bank’s interest rate is too low, it may still result in a loss due to inflation.
這一點我早就知道，但我去年才剛剛開設了一個高息賬戶。我真的後悔沒早點開設。
I knew this early on, but it was only last year that I finally opened a high-interest account. I really regret not opening it sooner.
我的會計好朋友告訴我，“生活節儉很好，但也得聰明地投資。”
My good accountant friend told me, “Living frugally is good, but you also need to invest wisely.”
除了開高息帳戶以外，他還建議購買存款證，因為利息可能高一點。
Besides opening a high-interest account, he also suggested buying certificates of deposit, as the interest rates might be higher.
在股市上，他說相比炒股，投資共同基金風險較低。
Regarding the stock market, he said that compared to trading stocks, investing in mutual funds carries lower risk.
最後，我想提一下債務和信用卡。很多人都害怕信用卡債務，我也是。
Finally, I want to mention debt and credit cards. Many people are afraid of credit card debt, and I am too.
但擁有和使用信用卡可以幫助你建立良好的信用評分。當你將來想要買房或者買車的時候，這一點很重要。
But having and using credit cards can help you build a good credit score. This is important when you want to buy a house or a car in the future.
另外，使用信用卡不但可以保護銀行訊息，而且有的卡還有獎勵。
Additionally, using credit cards can protect your bank information, and some cards even offer rewards.
所以我建議您把信用卡當作借記卡使用，永遠不要花你沒有的錢，每月完全付清賬單。這樣做就好了。
So, I suggest you use your credit card like a debit card, never spending money you don’t have, and always paying off the balance in full every month. Do this and everything will be good.
因為時間關係，我的播客到此結束。感謝大家的聆聽和支持，祝大家學業進步、理財順利、身體健康！謝謝。
In the interest of time, my podcast ends here. Thank you all for listening and supporting me. I wish you success in your studies, good luck with your financial management, and good health! Thank you.
Writing has always been a unifying thread weaving through my life, stitching together diverse passions and experiences into a cohesive whole. From crafting intricate stories in text-based roleplaying games as a teenager, to immersing myself in the analytical rigor of philosophy essays in college, to re-discovering the art of storytelling in new languages and genres, I have always held a deep love for language and expression.
Though I never considered myself a writer for most of my life, and still wouldn't consider myself much of a poet, I've always enjoyed taking the time to craft a poem. My poetry is often inspired by my life growing up on the Olympic Peninsula; the people and places, the pain and joy and contradictions of human existence. I try not to demand perfection from my poetry, because poetry is a reflection of life, and life is messy.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "whenwewereyoungwerodehorses.jpeg", "alt": "We Rode Horses", "dialog": "When we were young we rode horses.
We climbed up in the spring with only a halter
and didn’t cry
when thrown.
When we ate school lunch, it was free.
Soft round lunch ladies smiled sweetly, and on cheap
peanut butter
we choked.
When we rode the trails, it was free.
Razor branches sliced our legs, our fingers, our face
friends with the pain
we flew.
Cuts and bruises–the cost of flying– tastes
like living.
Free peanut butter and jelly tastes like
a split lip.
We don’t ride horses anymore.
We walk the trail on foot and wonder because now
we are afraid
to fall."
},
{
"img": "redaction.png",
"alt": "Redaction",
"dialog": "
hang a dreamcatcher
inside your mind
snare the thoughts
in a net of synapses
burn them with the light
of the stars
behind your eyes
closed too tight
until you’re blinded
by the strength
of Forgetting
Even when I can’t remember
My hands remember.
Even when I can’t remember,
My feet remember.
Even when I can’t remember,
My voice remembers.
Even when I can’t remember,
My heart remembers."
},
{
"img": "sunburns.png",
"alt": "Sunburns",
"dialog": "
Summer is for sunburns.
For ball games and trail rides,
and swimming across the middle of the lake in one go.
For making bad decisions
and believing it will all cool down when the rain comes.
Summer is for bonfires on the beach.
\"Smoke follows beauty!\" Everyone says.
The perfume of cigarettes
from a long afternoon at the baseball field,
the hot dogs full of carcinogens on the barbecue,
the sheen of gasoline on the lake
seeping in through the pores.
The black haze of boat and RV exhaust.
The smoke from the campfire.
\"Smoke follows beauty,\" We laugh and then cough–
choking on it.
The sign on 101–you know,
the one with Smokey The Bear–
said \"fire danger extreme\"
as it flashed by on the way up to the Rez to buy fireworks.
Does the speed limit exist if no one’s there to see you break it?
But the shithead who shot the bottle rockets up over the timber
instead of the bay,
that guy’s an asshole.
\"Smoke follows beauty.\"
We curse inside our locked houses,
sweating in the stagnant air with no AC
and the windows sealed shut to keep out the smoke.
Particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller.
2.5 micrometers between us
and life out by the lake,
working on our sunburns."
}
]
},
{
"img": "wompmobile.png",
"alt": "WompMobile",
"dialog": "
In 2015, after freelancing for a year, a friend referred me to a local Bellingham startup called WompMobile that was looking to expand their front-end development team. Though I was happy with my current workload, the nature of the work which included using their proprietary engine and programming primarily in javascript and CSS caught my attention as a unique and interesting approach to the problem of adapting existing desktop sites for mobile devices, which was a relatively new problem at the time.
Little did I know that this would be the start of a long and rewarding journey working for a great company and great people. As the years rolled by, I became an expert in vanilla JS and jQuery, expanded on my existing mastery of CSS, and moved from regular developer to project and then to team lead, taking on additional duties of training new developers, managing projects and being the primary point of contact for the client.
I worked at WompMobile for 5 amazing years, but left in 2020 to return to freelancing and pursue other interests.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "before-and-after-mobile-optimized-website-examples.png", "alt": "Global Brands", "dialog": "Fun fact, there is a good chance that you have seen a website that I worked on. WompMobile specialized in mobile-optimizing existing websites, which was a particularly difficult task for large companies that had extensive existing codebases. Womp's unique solution allowed these companies to spare their own development teams the headache of mobile requirements.
Though I worked with many companies in my time at Womp, some of the more recognizable ones included: AT&T, Zales, American Cancer Society, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Providence Health.
For many of these I acted as the project lead and primary point of contact for the client while also serving as the technical lead and primary developer. The work I did with Providence was particularly rewarding. We designed a doctor directory for their network, which was a complex project that required a lot of coordination with the client and their development team. This project won Providence awards for technology and innovation in healthcare, and essentially led to WompMobile's acquisition by the Seattle-based medical technology company DexCare in 2022.
" }, { "img": "WompMobile-About-Us-Google-AMP.jpg", "alt": "AMP Early Adopters", "dialog": "WompMobile was one of the first companies to adopt Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technology. AMP is a framework that allows web pages be packaged and portable, theoretically stored in a variety of edge caching applications that can serve pages to users at incredible speeds and save network resources.
As a mobile development company, we were already in a prime place to take existing websites and package them into AMP pages, so this technology was a natural fit. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a learning curve for AMP, as it required use of a completely new framework that came with many limitations and bugs. At Womp we were one of the first teams really hacking through the problems and inventing creative solutions to interface needs that were not readily available with the new technology.
Our efforts were rewarded when Google named WompMobile one of it's top AMP partners, and we were invited to speak at multiple AMP events in New York and California, as well as attend the global AMP conference in Tokyo, Japan.
" }, { "img": "twitterlife.JPG", "alt": "AMP Committee", "dialog": "In 2018, Womp was asked to present some of our unique and innovative work at the AMP Roadshow in Sunnyvale, CA. This was a hackathon where Womp was invited to assist developers from various companies in testing out the AMP framework, essentially acting as tutors and suggesting ways in which they could apply AMP to their needs.
I was asked to demonstrate the use of a new JSON powered list module and, in particular, the unprecedented way I had combined this with an existing \"bind\" feature to hook multiple lists together. This allowed us to chain filters for our client Autolist when users were searching for a make and model of car, and had never been done with AMP before.
In 2019, I was invited to join the AMP Advisory Committee, which was a group of people from various industries who were intended to give oversight and direction to the AMP project by relaying the needs of the community to the Google team. We met monthly to discuss the project, and this was a fascinating opportunity to learn about the inner workings of Google's development teams.
Unfortunately, the project was not able to gain traction and was eventually abandoned by Google in 2020. As a member of the committee, this was no surprise. The feedback from the community, including myself, was that the project was \"enforcing simplicity by adding complexity\". And besides this, there were valid concerns with content ownership and over-reliance on Google.
" } ] }, { "img": "rythmandrye.jpg", "alt": "Small Business Websites", "dialog": "Since starting as a freelancer in 2014, I've worked with a wide variety of clients. I've designed websites for musicians, attorneys, authors, and many small businesses. This has led me to be an expert in the realm of WordPress, which is the most popular CMS for small business websites. In fact, in recent years I've been marketing myself as a \"WordPress Mercenary\", helping clients who are in a pinch because the design firm they hired has left them high and dry, or they didn't keep up with updates and got hacked, or their technical requirements just outgrew the original design.
My strongest skill by far is what I've come to call \"rapid assimilation\", meaning that I'm basically an expert at quickly understanding and adapting to a new system and then hacking it to do what the client needs.
In terms of how I work with clients, I've learned that the best way is to be flexible, and always ready to make revisions. I've worked with clients who have a clear vision of what they want, and I've worked with clients who have no idea what they want. Needs change, technology evolves, and you either roll with the punches or you get left behind.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "billymchales.png", "alt": "Billy McHales", "dialog": "Do you remember Billy McHales? It used to be a popular chain of restaurants, but now there's only one left in Federal Way, WA. In 2015 I redesigned the website for the last remaining location, finally moving them away from an ancient flash site that barely worked.
Although the site uses WordPress and can be managed by staff, the owner prefers to keep me on retainer to make regular changes to the menu and perform security updates and backups. Many of my clients have been with me for years, and I'm happy to support their businesses with technical consultation and content management.
One day, I swear I'll make it in to try their famous prime rib and onion ring loaf. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out!
" }, { "img": "AGPiano.jpg", "alt": "AG Piano", "dialog": "Andrew Gillispie is a Piano Technicians Guild registered piano technician and a graduate of the North Bennet Street School’s Piano Technology program. When he moved his piano business to Tenino, WA in 2017, he needed a website to help him market his services.
As a budget-conscious new business, I advised him on the best value hosting options, helped him set up the website and did the original design, and then trained him on how to manage it. And as a fun mini-project, I helped render a sketch from an artist friend into vector art for a giant decal for his piano moving truck.
After a few years, Andrew decided to move his business to New Mexico, but he still reaches out to me for technical support when the need arises.
You can find his website at agpiano.com.
" }, { "img": "2020engineering.jpg", "alt": "2020 Engineering", "dialog": "2020 Engineering is a small engineering firm in Bellingham, WA. They specialize in sustainable engineering design, particularly around water conservation, and work on both a local and international scale.
The owners of 2020 hired a local design firm to create a WordPress website for them, but the design was not fully responsive, and the firm did not leave any training and instruction on how to update the site. After the hosting system automatically applied updates to plugins and themes, the layouts broke down and the client was unhappy.
I was able to take the design aesthetic from the original firm, which the client did like, and transfer it over to a streamlined base theme that I designed for my clients to optimize for speed and stability.
The site is now fully responsive, and the client is happy with the results. While they prefer not to update the site themselves, I'm happy to support their business with technical consultation and content management.
Besides the 2020engineering.com site, I also designed and maintain a simple site for the coworking spaces they rent out at their waterfront office in Bellingham: docksidecoworking.com.
" } ] }, { "img": "home_mockup.jpg", "alt": "Simple Designs", "dialog": "I am a firm believer that websites are not a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, many individuals or smaller organizations run by volunteers don't have the resources to maintain a website, so I create custom solutions that are easy to maintain and update. Particularly if the stakeholders have little to no technical knowledge, I like to work with the tools they do know, and build from there.
The websites I designed for local musician Lisa Ramsauer in 2016 and Olympia Washington's McLane Grange in 2017 both leverage a basic embedded Google calendar. Although this may not be the most aesthetic calendar option, the owners of the sites can automatically update their content by making calendar events with their phones, and they don't even have to think about it.
For clients like these, simple is better. A full CMS like WordPress would be overwhelming and unnecessary, the additional security and upkeep would be a waste of funds, and most importantly, the clients are still happy with their sites almost 10 years later.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "mclanegrange.png", "alt": "McLane Grange Website", "dialog": "My mother's family are descendants of William McLane, who settled in Olympia, WA in 1854. Many places which bear the name McLane in Olympia, such as the school and nature trail, are on land donated from the McLanes's land grant at the end of Mud Bay–land which originally belonged to the People of the Water, the Squaxin Island Tribe, prior to the Treaty of Medicine Creek.
The descendants of William and Martha McLane have maintained a tradition of community service, and many of the women in my family have been active members of the McLane Grange. The Grange is a small group that works to preserve history, support the locals, and provide a space for community events.
Although I am not a member of the Grange, I have supported their web presence since 2017. The majority of the funding the Grange receives to remain in operation comes from rental of the Grange hall, and the website is a key part of their marketing strategy.
Members of the Grange tend to be older, and having a millennial tech-support person on call is a great help to them. My work for the Grange is pro-bono, and I'm proud to support the community in this way.
" }, { "img": "lisaramsauer.png", "alt": "Lisa Ramsauer's Music Website", "dialog": "If you've ever tried to help out family with a technical project, you know how easy it can be to get a little too technical. Well, that was me the first few times I tried to build a website for my mother. She's a singer-songwriter who books gigs and needs a web presence so that people can find her and book her for events, but her willingness to learn how to manage her own website was... limited.
At first I thought that a WordPress site would be a good fit. She could log in and manage her own content and calendar, post news about album releases, etc. Maybe even sell merch with WooCommerce. But I quickly learned that she didn't have the time or interest to learn how to use a CMS. So I scrapped the WordPress and built her a simple site with a Google calendar embed, a widget that automatically pulls an audio player from ReverbNation (a common platform for musicians to host their music), a contact form and even a simple \"tip jar\" feature where people can donate to her if they enjoy her music.
The site has been a great success. She's been using it for years to book gigs, and mostly she's happy that she doesn't have to do literally anything to keep it up to date. She'd much rather be playing music than managing a website.
" } ] }, { "img": "book-cover.jpg", "alt": "eBook Design", "dialog": "In 2015 I had the opportunity to design this eBook for Bellingham attorney Heather Wolf, a client who was looking to sell her short instructional eBook on the how to capitalize on the newly legalized marijuana industry in Washington State.
I worked with Heather to identify the style of art she was drawn to, that she felt would represent her while also clearly conveying the topic of her eBook. After meeting in her office and seeing the kind of art and decor she surrounded herself with, we settled on minimalism as a general principle, and I suggested using the art of Mark Rothko as a major inspiration in the design. She liked the idea, and I developed this concept of white and gold color fields with a single marijuana leaf dipped in gold laying on top.
This is still one of my favorite book covers that I've designed. I feel like it really drew on my art history education, and also elegantly captures the essence of the book and the author.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "turning-green-to-gold-listing.jpg", "alt": "Amazon Listing", "dialog": "Besides the cover design, I also formatted the eBook for the client, researching and following guidelines for listing on Amazon.com. This was the first time I had ever worked with a client to produce an ebook, and I learned a lot about the process of publishing.
You can still find the book on Amazon here.
" } ] }, { "img": "set3.jpg", "alt": "AVA AI", "dialog": "I landed an internship with a startup called Autoferret, which led to my first job out of college. The position was a mixed bag of branding, print, and user interface design, and while I was there the company underwent a name-change into AVA.ai (Automated Virtual Assistant). We were tasked with rebranding, and I helped develop the new logo and brand standards. This image features a mockup of a company t-shirt using the logo I designed as a major graphic element.
While at AVA.ai I worked on an absurd variety of projects. I designed ads for magazines and then wrote the marketing copy to accompany them. I ghost-wrote promotional articles which were published under the CEO's name, and edited all kinds of marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and white-papers. I designed large-format print materials, including an entire booth for conventions in Las Vegas. And then, I was taken along to work the floor at the conventions because I was one of the few people with a deep technical understanding of the system who could also talk to potential clients in \"marketing\" language.
One time, I designed an entire powerpoint from scratch, on a borrowed laptop, in a hotel suite in San Francisco, two hours before our CEO was set to give a talk at Dreamforce because he forgot to bring the one he had made.
Suffice to say, it was a wild ride of a first job. Several years after I left, the company rebranded again into Conversica, and is still going strong.
", "gallery": [ { "img": "sfmac-left.jpg", "alt": "Customer Dashboard", "dialog": "One of the last projects I worked on in my year as a designer for AVA.ai was a customer dashboard. This was a large-scale project to design a completely new interface for customers to view their data and manage their AI-powered campaigns. At this point the company was experiencing growing pains, and the design team was quite unsupported by the engineering team. There was no front-end development focused user-interface team, only me.I put all of my heart and overtime into designing an interface that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional, and personally coded the entire project using the MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework the engineering team was using, which was a great learning experience.
This was around 2014, and though the designs look dated now, I'm proud of the work I did on this project. It was celebrated by the company as a great success, and helped them to launch their product into the Salesforce ecosystem, which brought in a lot of new business and helped the company get to where it is today.
" } ] } ] }