Tianyi Zhai, a former Chinese theater playwright and director with three original musicals, committed herself to her original dream of filmmaking upon arrival at the University of Michigan, supported by three prestigious scholarships. On her way to pursuing a bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Media and Psychology at Michigan, she has been recognized by the College of LSA Honors, James B. Angell Scholarship, University Honors, William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize, and the first place of Michigan Association of Broadcasters Scholarship.

Maintaining academic excellence, she has written, directed, and produced five original short films and one TV pilot at Michigan. She founded and led the first and largest cross-cultural film production club, Cinnamon Cinema, in UMich history. She also initiated the inaugural Ann Arbor Chinese Film Festival, sponsored by the Film, Television, and Media Department and the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs. Venturing into television broadcasting, she serves as the Sports Channel director and produced two sports programs for WOLV TV, the designated student-run TV station on campus.

In the industry, she worked as the director’s assistant in a Tencent network TV crew in China. Additionally, she completed two film and television development internships, one with Paris Films in Michigan and the other with The Wolper Organization based in Warner Bros Studio Lot.