Ashley Lai

黎涵姿

Age: 25

residence: Irvine

Sponsor:

Ashley Lai is a Chinese Hawaiian American filmmaker from Irvine, California, with a deep love for storytelling, cultural connection, and representation.
She graduated magna cum laude from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, one of the nation’s top film schools, with a degree in Film & Television. While juggling storyboards, editing short films, and gaming on her Nintendo Switch, Ashley was also a Division III student-athlete, competing on NYU’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Balancing academics and athletics, she was awarded the Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award and earned a spot on the Dean’s List all four years.

Ashley currently works as a film editor, production sound mixer, and client service representative at one of the largest post-production houses in Hollywood. Her experience spans feature films, television pilots, documentaries, music videos, and trailers, with projects recognized at festivals including SXSW, SeriesFest, NFFTY, PROOF FilmFest, and the New York Latino Film Festival. Notable highlights include editing the television pilot Humanized (2022), which later featured on the sci-fi platform DUST, and directing and editing The Michael Chang Documentary (2020), where she interviewed Tennis Hall of Famer and French Open Champion, Michael Chang.

Ashley believes film is a powerful medium not only for storytelling, but for elevating underrepresented voices, preserving cultural identity, and fostering understanding across communities. Her goal is to bring more authentic Asian American stories to the silver screen. Through Miss LA Chinatown, she hopes to celebrate and expand the legacy of Chinatown while inspiring the next generation of Chinese Americans to embrace their heritage, pursue creative excellence, and share their stories.