Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Anias was first introduced to Mandarin in high school when she began studying the language for fun.

After a summer abroad in the northern coastal city of Qingdao, Anias vowed to return to the Middle Kingdom in order to improve her language skills and deepen her understanding of contemporary Chinese society. She moved to Guilin in fall 2016 and joined the CLI team as a Program Manager in summer 2017.

Anias enjoys eating 麻辣烫 málàtàng, analyzing popular culture and biking through the Guilin countryside.