Ran was born in China and grew up across three continents. Her immigrant background made her acutely aware that her family’s access to more opportunities is a privilege. She has served as an AmeriCorps Scholar and achieved the President’s Gold Award of Volunteering. Academically, she is a proud Wolverine with a business degree from the University of Michigan. Professionally, Ran spent four years at American Express, working in the internal consulting group advising the CEO/senior executives on corporate strategy projects, followed by business planning for a multi-billion portfolio of global merchant accounts. Now she is ready to return to her roots of serving the community. She was inspired to become a Kiva Fellow after meeting many hardworking entrepreneurs during her travels. She has witnessed firsthand that “talent is distributed equally across the human race, but opportunities are not.” Ran is excited to be a part of a ripple effect of change, starting in Nairobi, Kenya. Post fellowship, Ran hopes to pursue social enterprise opportunities focused on the underbanked.