I’m Dean — a writer, thinker, and educator.
I grew up moving between Asia and the United States. Living across cultures shaped how I read, think, and teach. It taught me early on that meaning often lives beneath the surface, in what is implied rather than stated.
I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Political Economy. My education extended far beyond formal requirements. I immersed myself in history, philosophy, literature, and political thought, often taking far more courses than required, not to collect credits but to pursue understanding. Writing was central to this process. It trained my thinking and gave structure to complexity.
I began my professional career at PwC in Silicon Valley, working alongside engineers, consultants, and entrepreneurs. That experience sharpened my understanding of how ideas function in the real world. Clear reasoning, precise language, and the ability to frame problems mattered more than surface level technical skills. Over time, I realized my real calling was not in corporate work, but in education.
I have been teaching since 2012. Today, I work with students across age groups, from young children learning to express their ideas, to middle and high school students ready to engage with demanding texts and serious questions. In my classes, we do not chase writing formulas. We read carefully, think rigorously, and write honestly. We engage with works ranging from The Iliad to modern literature, not to memorize answers, but to learn how to live inside complex questions.
I believe writing is not just a language skill. It is a way of thinking. My teaching is shaped by writers and thinkers such as Camus, Kafka, Kundera, Goethe, Schopenhauer, and Thomas Mann. They taught me that writing is an ethical act. To write well, one must think clearly, and to think clearly, one must strive to live well.
If you are looking for a place where writing is treated as a lifelong practice of thought and thinking as a path toward growth, I would be honored to work with you and your child.
Dean's Writing LAB 