Tan, Ching Ching
Senior Lecturer of Communication Studies
Preferred: chingching.tan@sjsu.edu
Education
Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing Nonfiction, San Jose State University
Master of Arts, Communication Studies, San Jose State University
Bachelor of Arts, International Studies - Linguistics, University of California, San
Diego
Bio
Ching Ching Tan is an educator, writer, and scholar whose work centers language, identity, and belonging. A proud immigrant from China, she began her U.S. education journey in community college ESL programs before transferring to UC San Diego. She now draws on her linguistic and cultural experience in teaching public speaking (including courses for English learners), interpersonal communication, and intercultural communication at San José State University.
Her creative scholarship explores migration, multilingualism, and cultural voice through essays, op-eds, and public storytelling. She received the 2022–23 RSCA SEED Grant for her memoir-in-progress, which examines cultural identity, language, and the immigrant experience in America. Her work has appeared in New England Review, CNN, HuffPost, SFWP, VISIBLE Magazine, and Canyon Voices Magazine. Her essay “How Do I Explain Myself,” published in New England Review, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2023.
Ching Ching is also an active communication coach and mentor. She serves as a speech coach for graduate students in SJSU Grad Slam (2025–present) and for student leaders at the Silicon Valley Women in Engineering Conference (2022–present). Her coaching work focuses on helping emerging scholars and professionals articulate research impact, build confidence, and connect across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Committed to global education and student empowerment, she has led faculty-led study abroad programs in Guangzhou, China (2019, 2020) and Jyväskylä, Finland (2017), fostering cross-cultural learning and inclusive communication.