Our Former Volunteers

Abi Rose-Craver

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach

she/her

Abi is a transracial adoptee from Chenzhou, Hunan. She and her younger adoptee sister were raised in the Philly suburbs. Since 2018, Abi has worked as a development writer and she's excited to bring her skills and experiences to Nanchang Project team to help fellow adoptees connect with their heritage. She loves baking, Zumba, meeting other adoptees, and snuggling with her rescue pup.

Brontee Colleen Xianglu Forfar

Book Project + Grants and Research

she/her

Brontee is from Jiangxi, China, and now lives outside T’karonto (Toronto) on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee, Wyandot, and Anishinaabe peoples. She is an avid reader and writer and has published two articles on adoption. Brontee has a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement and is passionate about uplifting adoptee voices. She is excited to join Nanchang Project, be in community with fellow adoptees, and help support their search journeys.

Bryanna Young

Ambassador + Strategist

she/her

Bryanna was adopted from Chengdu, China, and grew up in the Bay Area, California. She is a marketing specialist for a sustainable start-up and pursues freelance photography on the side. She also loves going to the beach, spending time with her dog Marshmallow, and traveling to new places. Bryanna joined the Nanchang Project in hopes of learning from other adoptees and acting as an advocate for adoptee voices.

Bella Weiss

Grants and Research

she/her

Bella is a transracial adoptee adopted from Nanchang. She attends the University of Michigan studying psychology. Her research focus is on the intersection of psychology and social work, with an interest in Asian adoptions. Bella joined the Nanchang Project in order to contribute to the adoption community and meet other adoptees.

Camille-Li Proteau

Origins Searches

she/her

Camille-Li was adopted from Bengbu, Anhui, in 1996 and was raised outside of Montréal, Canada. Since the start of COVID-19, she became interested in searching for her birth family. Camille-Li seeks her roots and origins in order to find her birth parents and better understand herself. As Camille-Li knows how searching can represent a rollercoaster of emotions, she wishes to help and support other adoptees through their search process. She’s happy and eager to do this through Nanchang Project.

Emily Gruber

Grants and Research

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Emily was adopted from Jiangxi province in China. She currently lives and works in New York City, where she enjoys taking walks around the park, going to shows, and trying new foods (and taking photos of said food). Emily is excited to be a part of Nanchang Project and support the adoptee community and adoptees’ journey of identity expression and connection.

EmmaRose Strybel

Content Creation

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EmmaRose was adopted from Fuzhou, Jiangxi. She grew up in San Diego, CA, and Louisville, KY. She recently found her biological sister through 23andMe, and just graduated college with a B.F.A in Graphic Design. EmmaRose is excited to connect with more adoptees and help others find their roots and birth families by using social media. In her free time, she enjoys ballet, Latin dance, nature walks, traveling, and hanging out with her family, friends, and dog.

Forest Shipp

Adoptee Support + Content Creation

he/him

Forest was adopted from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in China and grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri. He obtained his BFA in Graphic Design in 2022. Forest is now a freelance graphic designer and published poet who is constantly looking to make a positive impact on those around him and is excited to be a part of Nanchang Project. He loves huskies, meeting new people, trying different food, reading, petting cats, and being exceptionally lazy when time permits.

Hannah Ostiguy Hopp

Blog + Book Project + Grants and Research

she/her/hers

Hannah is an adoptee from Nanchang, Jiangxi, and grew up in Montreal, Canada, where she currently bakes sourdough and plays ringette. She has passions for research, writing, and advocacy. This has translated to adoption-related fieldwork/research in her undergrad and graduate degrees, as well as overseeing an adoptee-led anthology project. She joins Nanchang Project to meet more Chinese adoptees, and inspire hope and happiness where she can.

Jessie Lutz

Grants and Research

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Jessie was adopted from Yuyang, Hunan, China, and deeply loves the beautifully diverse Chinese adoptee community. Over the years, Jessie has been involved with Chinese Adoptee Links, China's Children International (CCI), Adoption Today Magazine, and Connect a Kid. Jessie is excited to join the Nanchang Project and give back to our community. Jessie went to UNC-Chapel Hill and lives in the Triangle. Jessie loves watching TikTok, swimming, traveling, and snuggling with her cat, Señor Rico.

Katie Hurst

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach + Social Media

Katie is an adoptive mom with six kids, three from China. They are from Shenzhen, Xinyang, and Nanfeng. Katie is a lifelong learner who has been fundamentally changed by adoption. She is a strong advocate for family preservation, trauma-informed parenting, adoption, and honoring adoptees' voices to reform adoption practices.

Laura Harper

Graphic Design

Laura was adopted from Jiangxi province when she was just over a year old. She grew up in London, Ontario, with her adoptive parents and her sister who was adopted from Fujian province. Laura currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario, where she works as a graphic designer. She hopes to use her skills to connect other adoptees with their biological families, helping gain a sense of closure and fulfillment in connecting with their roots.

Lily Mercedes

Content Creation

she/her/they/them

Lily is an adoptee from Guangdong province, China. They currently work in higher education with undergraduate students. They are passionate about social justice and have organized demonstrations for survivors of sexual violence, advocated for equitable treatment for other students in housing, and served as a legal observer for several of the Black Lives Matters demonstrations in 2020. In their free time, Lily enjoys fostering service dogs in training! Lily joined Nanchang Project to connect with adoptees and help others learn more about themselves.

Lia Nagge

Adoptee Support + Origins Searches

she/her

Lia was adopted from Nanning, China, and was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, as an only child. In 2021, she graduated with a BA in history and is currently planning on pursuing a graduate degree in genetic counseling. In her free time, Lia enjoys thrift shopping, spending time with friends, and attempting to re-create recipes from the Great British Baking Show. She is excited to join this fantastic team and help connect fellow adoptees to their birth families.

Liv Roy

Origins Searches

she/her

Liv was adopted from Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and raised in Massachusetts, USA. She is a Development Associate for a public media foundation. Outside of work, Liv enjoys cooking new recipes and engaging in creative projects (such as sewing, crocheting, and painting). She is in the beginning stages of searching for her birth family, and she joined Nanchang Project to help others find their birth families as well.

LiQian Shoag

Adoptee Support + Translation

she/her

LiQian was adopted from Shaanxi and grew up in Washington D.C. She loves to hang out with friends, try new foods, travel, and draw. She is an undergradudate student studying Asian American studies who is very passionate about advocacy, specifically related to mental health, racial justice, and their intersections. She joined Nanchang Project to connect with other Chinese adoptees and have the space to advocate for as well as learn from the adoptee community.

Mandy Myers

Adoptee Support + Translation

she/her

Mandy was adopted from Nanjing, China, at age of 10, and moved to Colorado then Kansas City. She is a Western Kentucky University alumni, with a BA in Psychology and Chinese. Staying connected with her roots have always been important to Mandy, and along with this, her passion for adoption involvement grew as well.

Minel Cannucciari 

Grants and Research + TAP + Web Development

she/her

Minel is a transracial, international adoptee from Guixi, Jiangxi. From her work in marketing and online community management, she understands the power and importance of community. Therefore, Minel is looking forward to working with and supporting fellow Chinese adoptees with Nanchang Project! In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, watching reality TV shows, and kickboxing.

Michelle M Miller

Grants and Research

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Michelle Miller is the Director of the International Women’s Writing Guild. With over two decades in international marketing and nonprofit leadership, she has led global campaigns for PepsiCo and Reebok and international fundraising for NGOs focused on children's welfare. A Harvard and Boston College graduate, Michelle speaks Mandarin, French, and Spanish. She is currently writing a bilingual children’s book on climate change and her first novel. She lives in Rhode Island with her daughter, LanLan, who was born in Jiangxi.

Rebecka Rubenbauer

Graphic Design + Web Development

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Rebecka was adopted from Jiangxi province in 1996 and grew up in Sweden, but is now living in the UK where she works as a graphic designer. She started searching for birth family in 2018 and has since then helped out in various adoptee initiatives. Rebecka joined Nanchang Project for their latest trip to China in 2019 as an adoptee ambassador.

Ruby An-lu Bronaugh

Grants and Research

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Ruby 安路 is a transracial, transnational adoptee from Shanghai, China. Raised in the Beach Cities of Southern California, they recently moved to Austin, Texas. They love indie games, knitting, embroidery, art history, and going on picnics with her dog, Laika. They are pursuing their Master’s degree in library science, hoping to work in archives and databases. She is excited to help Nanchang Project in amplifying adoptee voices and creating safe spaces for adoptees to explore their roots.

Rosalie Palin

Graphic Design

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Rosalie was adopted from Duchang, Jiangxi. She grew up in Québec, Canada, and is currently studying in a graphic design program. She loves to draw and learn about genetics since she has another background study in science. Rosalie loves to go on backpacking trips and do activities with her dog Penjing such as paddleboard and camping. She joined Nanchang Project to connect with her biological roots and to help other adoptees to find their families.

Remy Carter

Grants and Research

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Remy was adopted from Tongling, China, and grew up in the Northern Colorado region. She works in project management for a defense contractor and holds a B.A. in Psychology and an MBA. She loves plants, hanging out with her two cats, and traveling to new places. Remy joined Nanchang Project to learn from other adoptees and help build a community.