When Natalie was growing up in Hong Kong, as an English-speaking student in a Chinese school, she remembers hearing her classmates brag about getting 90s while she was failing. But at the age of 14, she had the opportunity to attend a boarding school in the US. While she had to leave her family and culture behind, through living with her teachers and classmates, she felt like she was no longer learning for grades, but learning to make sense of her identity and the world. She felt safe to be herself. Most importantly, she lived in a dorm with 40 other young women. It made her realize that when women come together, they are powerful and unstoppable. These women are still her strongest support system today. Natalie wanted to bring her love for learning to the next generation, so she studied to become a teacher. When teaching in Trenton, NJ, her incredible students expressed not feeling safe and heard in their schools and communities. While they were from different parts of the world, they shared similar experiences. This feeling of kinship made her think, "What if I could provide the same experience that was transformative for me as a high schooler to my students here in Trenton?"​