Hi there! My name is Hoi Ning Ngai and I'm a third-year doctoral student in Higher Education, focusing on the impact of cross-racial interactions on college student identity development. I received my BA in Psychology from Dartmouth College in 2000 and I worked for several years before deciding to return to graduate school. I'm a native New Yorker who has (somewhat successfully) managed to survive in LA without knowing how to drive, how to bike, or how to rollerblade -- wheels are obviously not my preferred mode of transportation!

As an undergraduate, I was always a psychology major, but I was also pre-med (i.e., biology/chemistry/physics, prep course, MCAT) until my senior year. When I decided that I didn't want to pursue medical school, I took advantage of opportunities to work in various positions, from nonprofit advising to college counseling, from human resources to sales and marketing, and from retail management to event planning.

Besides job-hopping, I also enjoy city-hopping. I've been to several cities in North America and Europe, but Paris was by far my favorite, with delicious nutella crepes and homemade ice cream on every corner. I love food and I even took amateur cooking classes for nine months at the French Culinary Institute in New York. Needless to say, I like to keep busy!

In addition to working as a Counseling Assistant, I've spent time as a research analyst in the Office of Undergraduate Evaluation and Research and as an administrative analyst in the Student Affairs Information and Research Office. I've also been active in the Graduate Students Association, serving as a graduate student representative on the ASUCLA Board of Directors.

I love talking and working with students, about anything and everything, especially navigating the college years and figuring out where to go next. I'm excited to be working with you, so feel free to swing by and say hi when you have a chance!

Email me at hngai@college.ucla.edu