Ella Chen

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Communication + Informatics · xingyic3@gmail.com

Hi! I’m Xingyi Chen, and I also go by Ella. I’m a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Communication and minoring in Informatics. I’m originally from Beijing, China 🇨🇳.

I’m a curious and driven individual passionate about digital marketing, user experience, and using data to tell meaningful stories. Feel free to check out my resume, reach out at xingyic3@gmail.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn!



Experience

Work Experience

TechSAge RERC | Marketing and Communication Intern
Urbana, Illinois, United States | Sep 2024 – Present

  • Optimized TechSAge's website using SEO and A/B testing, increasing active users by 35.5% and new users by 41%.
  • Managed and designed social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X) content via Hootsuite and Canva, boosting views by 51%, reach by 73.2%, and Facebook followers by 137.5% within a month.
  • Conducted interviews with researchers for the annual Newsletter, and launched email marketing campaigns via MailChimp, increasing user engagement by 23.1%.
  • Analyzed website traffic via Google Analytics and Hootsuite, conducted competitive analysis, and supported paid media management, including platform selection, ad optimization, and tracking.

Community Data Clinic | Market Analyst and Research Assistant
Urbana, Illinois, United States | Sep 2024 – Dec 2024

  • Extracted data using VLOOKUP (Excel) and SQL, visualized insights in Tableau for 1,000+ Black-owned microbusinesses in Illinois, optimizing project workflow and improving decision-making efficiency.
  • Conducted competitive analysis and market research, drafted actionable reports, and brainstormed innovative strategies.
  • Developed podcast scripts and topics, edited episodes using Adobe Audition, increasing podcast traffic by 57.3%.

BlueFocus (Lenovo’s 4A Agency) | Digital Marketing Intern, AI International Department
Beijing, China | May 2024 – Aug 2024

  • Analyzed large-scale datasets for 30+ projects using Excel and Python, developing data-driven marketing strategies.
  • Optimized email marketing via HubSpot and drafted professional outreach emails to establish collaborations with Forbes, MakeUseOf, and GizChina.
  • Designed social media content and case slides using Figma and Canva, increasing fan engagement by 34.2%.
  • Conducted A/B testing on social media, improving ad performance by 12% through click-through and engagement analysis.

China Securities Co., Ltd | International Marketing Intern
Beijing, China | Jun 2023 – Aug 2023

  • Utilized Excel and Bloomberg Terminal to analyze financial data, compiled 30+ daily market briefs supporting marketing and investment content.
  • Reviewed 60+ AI-related reports in the A-share market, documented bilingual insights using Lark to improve campaign quality.

NetEase | Marketing and Media Operations Intern
Beijing, China | Jun 2022 – Aug 2022

  • Created pictures and videos for Musk tech features using Adobe Photoshop and Premiere, increasing viewership by 30%, with one video reaching 1.08 million views.
  • Monitored media platform performance via TikTok Analytics, developed data-driven strategies, and boosted traffic by 46.3%.

Project Experience

The Adaptive Cognition and Interaction Design (ACTION) Lab | Research Assistant
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA | Jan 2024 – May 2024

  • Designed a semi-structured interview plan, interviewed 50+ users, and gathered 300+ actionable insights to analyze user behavior.
  • Created a chatbot prototype using Figma and ChatGPT, tracked user activity with Google Analytics, and optimized content strategy to improve retention.

UIUC Campus Safety Mentor Program | Design Team Member
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA | Sep 2023 – Dec 2023

  • Designed a mentor matching system from 0 to 1 using Figma, applying a user-centered approach.
  • Created and distributed surveys on Reddit, analyzed data with Google Analytics, and optimized outreach strategies to increase engagement.
  • Improved user flow through A/B testing, increasing form completion rate by 30% and boosting CTA conversion by 38.2%.

Skills

Certifications: Google Ads Certification, Google Analytics Certification, HubSpot SEO Certification
Data Analysis & Visualization: VLOOKUP, Tableau, Google Analytics, SQL, Python
Digital Marketing Tools: Meta Ads, SEMrush, Hootsuite, Buffer, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Adobe Creative Suite


Hobbies & Fun Facts

Hobbies

  • Classical & musical theatre singing 🎤 [Video]
  • Chinese dance & Zumba 💃 [Video]
  • Scuba diving (OW certified) 🤿
  • Alpine skiing 🎿
  • Trying new milk tea flavors 🧋
  • Traveling ✈️ (always planning the next trip!)
  • Playing piano 🎹
  • Playing with my cat 🐱💕

Fun Facts About Me 🤫

  • I’m Chinese but was born in Japan. My name “Xing星” comes from the phrase “日生” (born in Japan) and means “star” 🌟
  • I have an orange cat named Wang Qiang, and he’s the boss of the house 🧡🐱
  • I can flip my tongue completely upside down 👅
  • I can sleep 12+ hours on weekends 😴