Michelle Kuo was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. She attended Harvard University where, inspired by lessons about civil rights activists from the 1960s, she developed an interest in political activism and social work. This led her to take a position with Teach for America. After an initial summer training in Houston, the organization placed her in Helena, Arkansas—an economically-depressed and racially segregated town.

In Helena, Kuo fulfilled her ambition of making a difference, connecting with children who once viewed her with suspicion and treated her as an “other” due to her Taiwanese heritage. After connecting with them through reading books by African American authors whose stories reflected the students’ own lives, Kuo gained the confidence of her students and found her life becoming increasingly intertwined with theirs, at the expenses of fulfilling her parents’ dreams and pursuing a romantic life. In particular, Kuo connected with Patrick Browning, a humble 15-year-old who showed a great aptitude for writing.

After her tenure with Teach for America, Kuo took a job with a law office in Oakland that worked with underserved communities, particularly undocumented Mexican immigrants. She put the job on hold for seven months to return to

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