Echo Lyu

Echo is just graduated with a major in anthropology. In the past, she has been into the intersection of political economy and ethnographic methods, and was fairly theory-oriented. At the end of college approached, she was wavering between transitioning to the job market or continuing in academia. She learned a bit about UX methods and career futures herself, and was very lucky to find the mentorship program just in time. She was mentored by Evon Tay. For the mentorship, her main goal was to learn about the real working environment and tasks of a UX researcher, what kind of skills the recruiters would look for, and how to transfer her skills.

Location: Chicago; other: Shanghai. Home: Shijiazhuang in China

Education: Anthropology B.A. University of Chicago

Interest in anthropology: affective politics, capitalisms and informal economies, crisis, aftermath, and reparation.

Reflection: Because I am at such an early and unsure position of life, the program was nice just to be informative. I instantly got to learn a lot of theinsider’s view from my mentor, Evon Tay, in the regular meeting and chatting with her. I did not really strive for a job because I had a contract work that continued all the way to half a year later, but I learned substantially from this mentorship. I also felt extremely lucky to have Evon as my mentor, who was very chill and reassuring, had also a meandering career path, and was willing to teach me about how to face the real world once graduating from college.

Beyond anthropology: real lover for traveling and reading Lonely Planet. Has lived in Paris & Istanbul.

Past organizations: a real jumble: Shougang Hospital of Peking, NYU Shanghai Urban Lab, Educational NGO Turning Pages, Consulting at a cute consulting firm in Shanghai called Rhizome, Art Museum at CUHK.

Aspirations: First, continue to be curious about the world and use ethnographic approaches to learn about it. Second, work in industries / companies that I feel meaningful. Third, let more people see the diverse possibilities of social relations with an anthropology mindset.

Career goals: transitioning to technology and spatial / infrastructural design.

My mentor Evon said to me at the end of our last meeting, “Design is the rendering of ideas.” At the same time, I am a person who is always delighted by ideas, especially ideas of changing people’s habits and social engagements.