Xinhui Wang was born and raised in a small city in China, where winter stretched on for what felt like an eternity, covering everything in snow for half the year. But inside her home, there was warmth—especially when movies were playing. At six years old, she fell in love with film, believing it to be pure magic. After all, it was one of the few things that could make her dad laugh, and anything with that kind of power had to be special.

Growing up, movies became her greatest escape, her favorite pastime, and occasionally, her excuse for disappearing from class. High school lessons? Often too predictable. But a great film? Always an adventure. When teachers couldn’t find her, chances were she was tucked away in some quiet corner of the school, phone in hand, fully immersed in another cinematic world.

At 17, she finally made her great escape—not just from the cold, but toward her dream. She moved to South Korea to study filmmaking, trading snow-covered streets for the glow of editing monitors. Later, she took an even bigger leap, coming to the U.S. to pursue her MFA in Film Production at USC, with a strong focus on editing.

Now, freshly graduated and fully committed to the craft, Xinhui spends most of her time in editing suites, movie theaters, or, let’s be honest, her own room, which doubles as both. She believes that editing isn’t just about cutting scenes together; it’s about shaping emotions, telling stories, and, in a way, still creating a little bit of magic.

If she’s not in the editing room, she’s probably at the movies—or on her way to one.