“Through our connection with TESOL International Association past president and past chair of TIRF, Kathi Bailey, my wife, Liying Cheng, and I were some of the first TIRF donors, when we started giving more than 20 years ago. Over that time, it has been inspiring to see how TIRF has grown and to have contributed to that growth has been an important part of our professional lives. Serving for three years, from 2018 to 2021, as a member of the TIRF Board of Trustees was an enriching and rewarding experience, working with a diverse international board, from which I learned a great deal. Now, as a supervisor of doctoral students from Mainland China, I regularly refer them to the hundreds of TIRF resources lists, to which I have contributed, and I look forward to many more years of working with TIRF to support the next generation of language researchers.”