New PR Coordinator

We are proud to welcome Sylvia Dean to the ATAYAL Team, where she will be a PR Coordinator and Reporter for Indigenous Bridges. As a visiting journalist, she will work not only to share the stories of indigenous people unheard by many, but also to learn about these cultures so critical to Taiwan’s history, and to extend their reach to other parts of the world - including her own home, the USA. 

Sylvia Dean is living in Hualien City, Taiwan, on a year-long Fulbright grant. She grew up in the midwestern town of Iowa City, Iowa. While studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in Linguistics/TESL from the University of Iowa, she worked as a journalist in multiple settings, including the Iowa State University Department of Linguistics, as well as the University of Iowa’s International Programs and Department of Rhetoric.

Sylvia first learned of Taiwanese indigenous groups during a Mandarin language immersion program in Taoyuan, Taiwan. A trip to Hualien delivered an opportunity to visit Cidal Hunter’s School, which preserves the culture of the Amis tribe. This was followed by a new understanding of indigenous cultures in the modern world after seeing a performance by Dai Ai Ling 戴愛玲, Paiwan mando-pop singer, performing a concert in Hualien City.