Ashley Yao
姚嘉琳
Assistant Dance Coach
As a former Third Princess of the 2024 Miss LA Chinatown Court and current Miss Imagine Talks with Miss Asian Global, Ashley Yao loves pageantry for the sisterhood and unique community service experience.
Ashley grew up learning ballet, musical theater, and jazz. In college, she enjoyed country line dancing and choreographing for a Christian dance group. She also performed in parades, restaurants, and festivals with the Cal Poly Lion Dance Team. Since moving to Los Angeles, she has trained with Whacking Los Angeles and Move In Touch. She is a semi-professional dancer; formerly, as a Maid Cafe performer with Anime Expo and currently, with other industry cafes.
Professionally, Ashley is a transportation engineer and planner passionate about traffic safety. She works diligently to design safer futures in the greater Southern California region. Through her experiences, she is practiced in conducting community outreach and public speaking. She wants every delegate to feel connected to the Chinese community and feel confident on stage.
In her free time, Ashley is a notorious side-quester. So, you'll have to ask her about her other hobbies when you meet her, but she's always down to take a dance class with you.
Ashley is a dedicated transportation professional focused on enhancing safety and accessibility across the SoCal region. She earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly SLO and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.
Her favorite part of being on the Miss LA Chinatown court? The deep sense of sisterhood with her fellow court members and MLAC alumni. She sees the Meet The Court event as a chance to gather support for their community service efforts.
Ashley joined the pageant to honor her family and the Chinese community that has been her anchor through many moves. The CCCLA’s commitment to preserving culture and traditions in LA Chinatown resonates deeply with her.
Age: 26
Ashley Yao is currently working as a transportation engineering and planning consultant. She received her Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and studied for a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from University of California, Los Angeles. As a transportation consultant, she conducts technical work and public outreach for local government agencies in the Southern California region. She's passionate about how her work leads to improving safety outcomes and produces infrastructure solutions for local communities. Outside of work, she enjoys singing, dancing gaming, reading, and playing tennis. Growing up, Ashley's family moved several times eventually settling down in Riverside. In all of these places, the community that kept her grounded was the Chinese community. Ashley is honored to participate in Miss Los Angeles Chinatown as it is the perfect opportunity for her to give back to the community that raised her.
