ABOUT JANET

A loving daughter and sister. An amazing girlfriend. A hardworking student. A dedicated friend. A future teacher. A humanitarian.

Janet was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 6, 1987. She is the 22-year old daughter of Guy and Teresa Liang, immigrants from Guangzhou, China. Her family moved to California when she was 11, and she now splits her time living in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

During her years at Amador Valley High she revived the school's Environmental Club to promote environmental sustainability, became an editor for the campus newspaper, and challenged her increasing knowledge of the U.S. Constitution by joining their national award-winning Competition Civics debate team.

A self-described "shy nerdy bookworm," these leadership opportunities led her to blossom into an ambitious young woman by the time she reached college at UCLA. She became intensively involved with UCLA's Project W.I.L.D., a student-run tutoring organization that aims to improve immigrant literacy development for first and second generation ESL students in the San Gabriel Valley. To help pay for her tuition, she took on a part-time job as an assistant with the National Center for History in the Schools by outreaching to K-12 teachers and students with history resources and curriculum. Inspired by the outstanding teachers of her past and disheartened by the recurring problems of California's educational system, she realized that her future was in teaching.

Close friends know her as a warm, sympathetic, compassionate, and down-to-earth person. Strangers regard her as a friendly and surprisingly engaging individual. In her spare time when she's not a workaholic or sleeping, Janet loves eating at buffets, singing with friends, and globetrotting around the world. She secretly hopes to meet President Barack Obama given their shared Hawaiian upbringing and finally using her French in Paris someday.

- Kauluwela Elementary School (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Maryknoll Grade School (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Canyon Middle School (Castro Valley, CA)
- Harvest Park Middle School (Pleasanton, CA)
- Amador Valley High School (Pleasanton, CA)
- UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)

MESSAGE FROM JANET

I just want to thank you all for even considering becoming a bone marrow donor. Without your support, I probably wouldn't be here today. It's like drowning and having tons of friends jump in the water to keep you afloat. Please trust that I continue to fight each day to stay alive. My family and friends are so thankful for YOU. Best wishes and all my love!