Starting this Spring, Tiffany Teng joined the MS in Professional Writing to teach our Document Design and Data Storytelling core course. Tiffany is a marketing strategist, researcher, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to marketing for the tech, non-profit, and luxury beauty sectors, she has published articles and essays in the South China Morning Post, VICE, Catapult, and more. Tiffany lived in Myanmar and Taiwan for several years before earning her master’s in social anthropology from the University of Oxford. She is passionate about infusing storytelling and design with research, especially to help marginalized communities access economic opportunities. Learn more about Tiffany in the short interview below!
Q: What drew you to professional writing?
A: Ever since I was little, I’ve been an avid reader and writer. It wasn’t until undergrad that I, as a marketing major, took so many English literature classes that I ended up taking on a second major. I was drawn to the discipline because words are powerful– whether in an NYT article, a fantasy novel, a pithy subway ad, or an inspirational customer story. Writing builds understanding and empathy because it can reveal places we’ve never been and people we’ll never meet. Since undergrad, writing has been a huge part of my professional career, from communicating the stories of farmers and youth-led organizations in Myanmar to conducting SEO research for Coursera. I like telling stories that reveal the truth about a social issue or life experience. I’m drawn to the ways that writing reveals our humanity.
Q: How has your writing experience impacted your overall career path?
A: When I first started marketing for luxury brands, writing played a smaller role in allowing me to present ideas to leadership. As I developed an interest in telling stories, I contributed to publications and consulted for social enterprises and NGOs to demonstrate their impact on donors and international communities. Writing played a more central role as I produced reports and blog posts, and eventually, a major role in my work as a content strategist at Coursera. Great writing will always be important in marketing and design research roles.
Q: In joining the MSPW teaching team, what have you enjoyed the most?
A: I’ve had the best time interacting with my students! I thoroughly enjoy getting to know them, reading their work, listening to their discussions, and tweaking activities to suit their learning styles and needs. I’m currently teaching Document Design & Data Storytelling, which is so much fun because my professional writing students are pushing their creative boundaries to learn about color, font, and dynamic forms of design, as well as how to use data, words, and visuals to tell powerful stories.
Q: What unexpected skill have you found to be important in your career?
A: Honestly, I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities by being enterprising. As writers, we often have to fight to be seen. Whether pitching an article to the South China Morning Post on food landscapes in Yangon’s Chinatown, revamping a peacebuilding foundation’s internal communications, or a UX-focused project for Coursera’s Articles page, taking initiative and being resourceful led to more and better opportunities for you. My advice to students is you’ve got to go seek out new opportunities while you take care to hone your writing craft and build adjacent skills like (editorial) leadership and familiarity with design thinking. There will always be a need for professional writers who can strategize content for companies, write technical manuals, and produce donor reports for non-profit organizations. How you develop that writing and make data-driven decisions in collaboration with a team is important too.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: I love spending time outdoors and traveling whenever I get the chance. My heart is in Asia, where I lived for the latter half of my twenties, so I’m always on the lookout for cheap (and spicy!) noodles. I also love cooking (interested in growing my own veggies and herbs), yoga, reading (usually memoirs and fiction), and dogs.
Please join us in welcoming Tiffany Teng to the MSPW Teaching Team this Spring!