Christy Wong

Hello, I'm Christy!

Welcome, I'm glad you're here.

about me

I am originally from Detroit, as many would say the heartland of America. I do like corn. And yes, Midwesterners are friendly. I like to think I"m no different. One of my more controversial opinions is preferring freezing temperatures to hot weather, as I'm used to the cold.

I attended an arts high school Cranbrook Kingswood, where I fostered a love for learning. Later, I majored in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at Yale. New Haven has its charms, but I moved to New York and San Francisco to pursue finance and entrepreneurship.

interests

What areas am I particularly interested in these days? Feeding my inner light! I'm pursuing things that bring me joy and give me a sense of purpose and progress.

Most weeks, I decompress by running or playing guitar. I ran California International Marathon in 2023 and set a PR (4:14, also my first and only marathon). I've taught a few of my friends to play guitar, and I tend to play female singer-songwriters (think Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo). 

Like most people, I enjoy good food. But I'm not a foodie. If all I could eat was bread and cheese for the rest of my life, I'd be happy. My favorite food is pizza. During the Tiger-King days, I used up a 50 lb bag of flour making pizza dough.

I love to read, and I read mostly fiction. Why? Stories show us new sides and reflections of ourselves. Some books I connected with are: Pachinko, Everything I Never Told You, Chemistry, and the Opposite of Loneliness. My reading list is never ending, and I appreciate any recommendations.

I'm grateful that I've been able to travel all over. I've visited over 20 states within and 40 countries outside the US. The longest road trip I've done was 670 miles along I-80 from California to Utah. And on the same two week trip in southern Africa where we climbed the Sossusvlei dunes, I learned to drive on the left side of the road - scary!

My dream is to live by some mountains and a large body of water. I love the tranquil yet vast energy of endless nature–a reminder of the world's enormity and my small place within it.
professional
I'm an analytics engineer at Airbnb.org. We're a disaster response and emergency housing organization. I support new product and program launches by building our data infrastructure. I'm passionate about scalable processes and making social impact with technology. I am motivated by becoming an expert in my craft and inspired by good people and great ideas.

I started my tech career as a start up generalist, and have now specialized into data engineering functions. My career has spanned a number of industries and functions, including: securitized products, sell side finance research, blockchain, freight forwarding, last mile delivery, floral design, hospitality, disaster response, and non-profit. I'm happy that my career has taken me here, however meandering, and I'm happy to help others figure out what they want to do, too.

travel excerpt

It was my idea to do this sunrise hike. It was 5 am and so dark I couldn't see my hands inches from my face. Half asleep, the chill air and cool sand gave gently with each step. Soon we reached the summit. I took off my shoes and dug my feet in to find the coldest part.

A yellow haze emerged on the horizon and the sun sliced through the sky. I looked around. Red sand as far as you could see. And nothing alive except us. The few fossilized trees looked like ants. It felt like we were on another planet.

I took in the view down the edge of the peak we were on. Oof. The ground looked impoosibly far away. This was the perfect moment to discover my debilitating fear of heights. I began to hyperventilate. How will we get down? I sat gingerly on the ground and practiced breathing.

After an hour, the tightness in my chest subsided.
Have questions? Let's talk.