A lifelong Bostonian who grew up in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown, Connie (she/her) grew up watching lion and dragon dancing, and kung fu demonstrations on the streets of Chinatown during major festivals and celebrations. She was also an avid attendee of Chinese martial arts movies at the local Chinese movie theatres. In the late 1990s, Connie joined an all-Asian women’s lion and dragon dance troupe, the Gund Kwok Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe. The troupe’s mission, aside from learning the art of lion and dragon dance, is to enable Asian American girls and women to live a bigger life, to have the confidence to excel and exceed their own expectations. Connie started out as a lion dancer and eventually became a coach teaching new lion dancers the basics of lion dance. She also assisted with choreographing routines and teaching troupe members how to play the gong and cymbals and drum. In the early 2000s, Connie took over coaching and leading Gund Kwok’s dragon team, training the team, choreographing dragon routines, and managing the dragon team. The dragon team became her passion. She loves the team-oriented aspect of dragon dance and is often quoted to say that in teamwork, and in dragon dance, you are only as strong as your weakest link. In the late 2010s, Connie joined a new Boston Asian American women's troupe, the Nuwa Athletic Club. The name Nuwa comes from Chinese mythology, the goddess of Mother Earth. Nuwa promotes a healthy lifestyle with exercise activities, with a focus on Chinese lion dancing. Over the years, Connie has also taken up tai chi. Professionally, Connie is an attorney and currently serves as the Deputy Commissioner for Labor Relations, Human Resources, and Legal Affairs for the Boston Fire Department. Connie is also pro bono General Counsel for the United States Dragon and Lion Dance Federation, and a certified judge for lion and dragon dance competitions, tying in her professional acumen with her personal passions for the lion and dragon dance arts.