Dr. Kaishan Kong is an Assistant Professor of Chinese at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, USA. Originally from the south part of China, Dr. Kong has a diverse background in studying and working in multinational settings. She received her BA degree in English Education in China, MA in Intercultural Communication in England and PhD in Second Languages and Cultures Education in the U.S. Dr. Kong is passionate about teaching languages and cultures, study abroad projects and community engagement. Her research interests include: study abroad, second language acquisition and teacher training. As a teacher educator, she has been teaching the STARTALK program for multiple years, a U.S. government funded program to prepare teachers for critical languages.