Corinne Richeux Hua is the Founder and Executive Director of Stepping Stones. Corinne is half British and half French, and graduated in Chinese studies from Cambridge University in 1990. Since moving to Shanghai with her husband in 1993, Corinne has worked in the Commercial Section of the British Consulate General and as H.R. Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and has two children. Corinne has been working in the non-profit sector in Shanghai since 2005.

“When I first visited some migrant schools in Shanghai in 2006 and asked the Principals what help they needed, they all asked me to help them to teach English to their students. I already knew a lot of English speakers in Shanghai who were looking for a meaningful way to help others. Stepping Stones emerged as a neat way to bridge a need in our local community with a valuable resource. I’ve always been passionate about social service, volunteering, education and cultural exchange, and I derive inspiration each day from the amazing people that Stepping Stones brings together from all walks of life and from all over the world.”

Sebastien is the Program Director of Stepping Stones. Sebastien holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Montreal (Canada) specialised in Chinese society, migration studies, ethnicity, and socio-economic development. He has written articles and given several presentations focused on China’s minorities and migrant workers. He contributed to the East Asia Forum Quarterly and published a chapter in a book titled Regional Minorities and Development in East and Southeast Asia.

Eva participated in various volunteer activities before being a member of Stepping Stones. With knowledge of non-profit organizations, she devotes herself to working with caring volunteers and friends who are willing to help others. Eva grew up in Shanghai and graduated from Shanghai University (SILC), majoring in International Economics and Trade. She earned financial experience working for the Bank of China.

“Wherever I go, I have always been keen on getting involved in social volunteering programmes. It’s my great honour and pleasure to contribute to the future of children and of my hometown, Shanghai, by being part of the Stepping Stones team. I first learned about Stepping Stones when I attended a talk given by the Director Corinne Hua. I was deeply touched to hear that Stepping Stones exerts its best effort to improve the education of migrant children in China. I love to devote myself to this meaningful programme and I enjoy facing the challenges we are facing. Stepping Stones volunteers impressed me with their passion and creative thinking. Their ideas inspire the whole team and encourage children to learn in an innovative way.”

Claire Ding is Stepping Stones’ Director of Training and Curriculum. Claire was first involved with Stepping Stones as a volunteer and saw how the program helped students become more confident about speaking English.

Claire is an experienced TEFL teacher and an in-house teacher trainer. She holds a CELTA certificate and a Trinity Diploma in TESOL. She believes helping volunteers and school teachers to deliver more effective lessons will have significant impact on the students.

Julie Li is the Senior Manager of Stepping Stones’ Home Classroom Program. She is happy to do such a job to help rural school students, especially when she observes the students’ excitement to have lessons from our volunteers. Julie hopes more volunteers will join our organisation to help more students in need.

Sherry, a Shanghai native, is responsible for managing Stepping Stones’ rural programs, including School Videolink Program and rural tours. Before joining Stepping Stones, she worked as an IT support engineer for over 8 years. She started her volunteering career at a community hospital assisting the elderly.

“One of my friends mentioned Stepping Stones by chance. While researching their organization, I was touched by the work they did and noticed there was an open position. I applied and was accepted for the job. I am deeply convinced that there is more happiness in giving than receiving. This is an idea I would like to spread to others, especially my young daughter.”

Teddy is the Outreach Director of Stepping Stones. He, a Shanghai Native, graduated from Shanghai Sanda University, majoring in E-Commerce. He participated in various volunteer work before joining Stepping Stones, he has been very interested in public welfare education since college and enjoys interacting with children. In 2016, he introduced the digital literacy program “Stepping Up” to Stepping Stones. Since then, he has been growing and developing with the program. He is looking forward to meeting more people who are passionate about public welfare education and supporting Stepping Stones.

“I first joined Stepping Stones on May 8, 2016 as a volunteer. Being a photographer for Stepping Stones’ 10 years anniversary reinforced for me how important education is in changing children’s lives. And it was the best anniversary party I have ever seen in my life. I discovered a lot of interesting projects, other non-profit organisations and dedicated people in this anniversary party, and the smiles of children were just like angels. I decided then to change my career to be a full-time teacher, as I always dreamt when I was a child. I hope Teacher Teddy can bring love and joy to these children in the future.”

Lydia Liu is Stepping Stones’ Finance Manager. Before she joined Stepping Stones, she had been working in a CPA firm for 30 years. During the time she was in that firm, she participated in the donations and some public benefit activities.

“I am very glad to begin my new career in Stepping Stones. It’s my honour to work with a group of talented, vigourous and charitable people. I hope that I will do my finance work much more better to support the team full of social responsibility.”

Huang Meng, a native of Rugao, Jiangsu, graduated from Donghua University with a Master’s in Business Administration. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Gemmology, Diamond Grading, and Identification from the Antwerp Institute of Gemmology. Always passionate about public welfare, he has participated in and initiated numerous charitable donation activities during his entrepreneurial journey.

“In 2020, I embarked on a journey with Stepping Stones. Initially, I was involved in a project to help rural teenagers enhance their vocational skills. In 2024, I officially became a volunteer at Stepping Stones and had the privilege of participating in a project to support left-behind children in rural areas through education. This experience has given me a deeper understanding of the social responsibility and mission that Stepping Stones bears, with every effort turning into a light that illuminates the path ahead for these children. I am deeply honored to be a part of Stepping Stones’ family, working together with like-minded partners to bring hope and possibilities to more children.”

“I joined Stepping Stone as a volunteer teacher in 2023. My teaching partner and I followed an approach focusing less on grammar corrections and more on letting the children feel free to express themselves. After nearly two years of teaching, I have experienced that “our” students have turned from being nervous and afraid to speak, into being willing to express themselves as little people. Some of them have changed from introverted to extroverted personalities and every time they see us now, they look so happy and naturally greet us in English – which is obviously a foreign language for them!”

“I’m full of joy and satisfaction to see their immense changes. By joining Stepping Stones as a Program Manager, I hope to help more children experience the joy of learning languages through Stepping Stones’ language programs.”

Yining Yao is the Digital Literacy Program Manager at Stepping Stones, mainly responsible for the work related to the Stepping Stones Digital Literacy Project. With a background in social work, Yining has considerable experience in both online video teaching and offline teaching. He believes that digital literacy can not only cultivate students’ computer skills but also boost their confidence and initiative towards learning. He hopes to help more students through mentorship education, enabling them to gain more knowledge and skills.

Viviana Chen is Stepping Stones’ Communications Manager. She has over 10 years’ working experience in international companies and global leading PR agencies with the major responsibilities and achievements in Corporate Communications/Branding and media. She volunteered in various orphanages and rest homes when she was a student, assisting them with different needs.

“The first time I heard Ms. Corinne Hua telling the story about her journey and Stepping Stones, I was deeply intrigued by this. I’m very happy to have joined Stepping Stones, and to have had a chance to make my contributions to the migrant workers’ kids’ welfare and education.”

Miki Gu is Stepping Stones’ Social-emotional Learning Program Manager. She graduated from New York University with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Her previous experience includes care management and school counseling in NGOs. Her role as a school counselor allowed her to see the need for and the importance of mental health support to children, especially children with special needs. This experience urged her to continue working in the NGO sector and provide accessible education services to children in need.

Nova Shao is Stepping Stones’ HR Senior Manager, responsible for the recruitment and management of volunteers as well as interns. Nova is a Shanghai native. She holds an MPhil degree in social anthropology from University of Bergen (Norway), and an undergraduate degree in sociology from ECNU. Nova once worked as a volunteer teacher and an anthropological fieldworker in a migrant school in Shanghai in 2005 and 2006. When Nova worked as a staff member for various study abroad programs before joining Stepping Stones, she loved building bridges between international students and local disadvantaged Chinese youth. She feels lucky to be able to contribute to the education and general welfare of the disadvantaged community through Stepping Stones again.

Stella is a volunteer of Stepping Stones, who is responsible to assist with office operations, and involved in many programs since 2021. Stella holds a Masters of Public Accounting and has accumulated more than 20 years working experience in management accounting. Years of project management background makes her realizes the importance of consistent engagement and devotion to achieving a mission. She hopes to do something to help more students to access developmental resources.

Yili Huang is born and raised in Shanghai, she pursued her MBA degree in the US and ended up graduating from University of Washington in Information Management. She has traveled in a lot of countries, from India and Nepal to Brazil and Argentina. This experience has broadened her mind and helped her to see the world differently. After returning to Shanghai, Yili decided to do some charitable work and give back to the community. She joined us in 2019.

“Education inequality in China is one of the biggest threat for migrant workers. I see the importance of improving those children’s welfare and education. I believe Stepping Stones is definitely making a valuable impact in our community.”