Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Lin.
Hi Joy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Early life: I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. My mother had me tested at a very young age when she noticed I was hitting milestones sooner than other children and was surprised to find out my IQ was 174. I was placed in elementary school at 4 and middle school at 9. I moved to Austin, TX, when I was 11, when my mother came here to finish her Ph.D. At 14, I was living alone (with adult roommates) when she returned to Taiwan to her professor job. At 15, I attended the University of Texas in Austin and graduated with 3 degrees in science by age 21.
Field of Education:
I have been teaching in Austin Independent School District since 2005, which marks 2023 my 19th year. I am quintuple-certified in Texas to teach composite science 8-12, mathematics 4-8, mathematics 8-12, English as a Second Language, and Special Education. While working as the science department chair in a juvenile detention center, I was inspired to create fun lesson plans to engage incarcerated youths by incorporating popular movies into my science lessons. With the success of my lessons, I was soon nominated by my peers to the “Lessons Worth Sharing” contest sponsored by Kohl’s Cares. In 2012, I was named one of the 18 most inspiring educators by TED.com, which hosts TED talks, among other projects. TED was so impressed with my lessons they funded a six-part animated series, “If Superpowers Were Real.” The animated series premiered in 2013 on TED.Ed and received international media attention from BBC, FOX, KUT, and Time Warner Cable News, mentioned on IMDb, ComicBook.com, EvilGeeks.com, SuperheroHype.com, It World, and over 100 websites. I was named “Innovator of the Year” by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association the following year. I have been holding workshops to teach other teachers how to make their science curriculum more engaging in the past few years.
Other achievements:
- In 2014, I started speaking at Comic-Con panels in various cities, including Las Vegas Wizard World Comic Con, Texas Comic Con, and the San Diego International Comic Con (6 times).
- 2015, I started pursuing standup comedy, acting/modeling, and screenwriting/filmmaking. I have performed at multiple comedy festivals, been featured in several national commercials/ads, and accumulated dozens of international and domestic laurels for screenwriting/filmmaking.
- In 2017, I became a published author with my 4-book series “Superpower Science,” which was sold in multiple languages on multiple continents.
- In 2018, 3 years after I met the love of my life who would eventually become my husband, I started a webcomic series, Alloy Comics, documenting our bizarre love story with the help of a talented artist, Nohra Johnston. These webcomics have become viral several times on Reddit, with millions of views per comic.
- In 2019, I gave birth to my greatest creation: my son Cyrus.
- In 2020, my TED Talk was published on the TED website, and my second 4-book series, “Monster Science,” was published.
- In 2021, I received the Outstanding Young Persons Award by Junior Chamber International Taiwan in a special category, joining an extremely exclusive club of only 17 people who have ever received this honor, including Hollywood Star Jackie Chan, who won it back in 1992 for his work in the film industry and his charity efforts, and Jason Wu (the fashion designer responsible for both of Michelle Obama’s inauguration gowns). Most recently, I was invited to speak at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum’s First Fridays series on Superheroes Science in June and at 3 panels at the San Diego Comic-Con in July.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My first year as a teacher was very rough for me. I was 21 (looking 17) while teaching chemistry to 18-year-olds at the Alternative Learning Center, not exactly a good school. I was catcalled and harassed daily, in addition to a new teacher’s usual struggles. I didn’t find my place in education until about year two, when I started teaching at the juvenile detention center. Since then, I’ve worked in various educational settings, primarily with underprivileged children. I currently work at the Austin State Hospital, a residential psychiatric facility. These students often tend to self-harm or harm others. It can be a difficult environment for teachers. The stories we hear and the things we see are sometimes very traumatizing. Balancing that with my personal life and many interests is probably my biggest challenge: time management.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most known for my ability to break down the science of pop culture. I’ve been invited to speak on this topic multiple times around the country, and I regularly teach how to make the science curriculum more attractive to other teachers in Texas. In addition to superhero and action movie science, I can also speak to the science of horror characters and what would happen if they existed in real life. Here is my TED Talk on the subject: https://www.ted.com/talks/joy_lin_using_hollywood_to_get_kids_interested_in_science
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My standup comedy is dirty, and my screenplays can be dark and twisted. If someone knows me from my webcomics my TED.Ed animated series, my TED Talk, or my books, they’d be very surprised that how I speak in real life is nothing like my education persona at all!
Pricing:
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alloycomics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joylinaustin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-lin-austin/
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/AlloyComics
