Hailing from the United States, Tristan grew up in a state with over three-times more cows than people: Nebraska. A pen pal program sparked her interest in East Asia, drawing her to the region for multiple study abroad programs in Japan and Taiwan. She first came to Taiwan as a Rotary International Youth Exchange student in high school, and quickly became captivated by the rich culture as she spent her first year living with host families, surrounded by Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese speakers.

Tristan studied international relations at National Taiwan University, later returning to the United States where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies with minors in East Asian Studies and Japanese.

When off-air, Tristan can be found cafe hopping, rescuing stray cats, and running a YouTube channel where she shares about life in Taiwan and her passion for singing in Taiwanese.