Dr. Hong earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University in Special Education in addition to three masters in Instructional Practices for Diverse Learners, Educational Leadership & Policy, and as a Learning Specialist. She is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Senior Fulbright Scholar, Senior Fulbright Specialist, and Fulbright Hays Fellow awards. In 2014, Dr. Hong was appointed by the U.S. State Department, Bureau of International Programs, as a Speaker Specialist & Expert in Disability and Inclusion where she consults with the Ministries of Education for the U.S. Embassy worldwide. She was also the First Honorable Visiting Scholar at the Taiwan Municipal University of Education.

Dr. Hong serves on the Oxford Educational Research Symposium Advisory Board and was a former Executive Board member of the Council for Exceptional Children–the largest international professional organization for individuals with disabilities. She has been a professor for over two decades and has taught in New York, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Qatar, Turkey, Taiwan, Malaysia, Guatemala, Singapore, and Texas. Dr. Hong is also a certified K-12 special education teacher, school principal, and district superintendent.

Dr. Hong’s research has significantly advanced our understanding of the barriers students face as they transition to and through college. By reframing college readiness in developing self-determination skills of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-advocacy, and self-empowerment, Dr. Hong has made a profound impact in the field of education for low-income, first-generation minorities, non-traditional learners, and students with disabilities. Her expertise in employing evidence-based research and predictive data analytics to identify at-risk factors through intentional practices has been widely cited in major Handbook of Adult Learning, Wiley Library of Higher Education, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Recommended Readings, British Library, and the Hong Kong Institute of Education Library, among others.

Dr. Hong is a recipient of the International Teacher of Honor and the University Exemplary Faculty Awards. Formerly, she was the Education Specialist for the Fairfax County, Virginia Government, Dean of University College at Texas A&M International University, and a Special Advisor to Vice Presidents on A.I.D.E (Access. Inclusion. Diversity. Equity). She is currently the Vice President for Student Success at San Antonio College, where she oversees the affairs of almost 20,000 students within the Alamo Colleges District (77,000+).