Joyce Ma grew up in Chinatown/Lower East Side speaking a mix of Taishanese/Hoisan, English, and Cantonese, while playing wood tag at Forsyth Park, but she currently resides in Sheepshead Bay/Homecrest, Brooklyn, and spends a lot of her time waiting for the train or bus to arrive. She holds a M.S.Ed in School Counseling from Brooklyn College. Before her research role with the COVID-19 Asian American Oral History Project, she has also worked in nonprofit, NYC Department of Education, labor union organizing, public higher education and policy advocacy. At the heart of her work, she listens deeply, asks questions, and holds space to bridge connection and cultivate belonging.