- Alumni
Suki Chiu & Shane Shin (Class of 2016)
Congratulations to our Hangzhou International School Class of 2016 alumni Suki and Shane, who have just celebrated their first wedding anniversary! These high school sweethearts have been together since their senior year and were married in June 2024, where many of their classmates and friends joined from all around the world!
We recently caught up with them, where Suki shared their HIS love story and reflections on their journey together.
We'd love to start by hearing about your journey at HIS!
Our journey at HIS began in middle school. I transferred in during the second semester of 8th grade, while Shane had already been there for a semester. We ended up in the same class and continued our time together all the way through to graduation.
What are some of your favorite memories from HIS?
Some of our favorite memories from HIS are definitely the unforgettable China trips, where each grade would travel to a different destination in China as a class.
One trip that stands out was to Inner Mongolia. It was far from your typical tourist experience—we had an amazing time riding camels across vast landscapes and staying in traditional Mongolian yurts.
Those trips were full of adventure, bonding, and experiences we still look back on fondly.
Can you tell us more about what HIS means to you?
High school was where I began to understand who I was and who I wanted to become. It wasn’t just about academics — it was about friendships, challenges, and moments that shaped my values and confidence. At HIS, I had the freedom to explore, try new things, and learn what I liked or didn’t like.
One of the most memorable experiences was doing IB Art in my last two years. I never thought I’d be interested in art, but it opened up a whole new way of thinking and expressing myself. Even though I didn’t major in art at university, that experience gave me the creative perspective I now use in the fashion industry. Without it, I don’t think I could do what I do today.
What activities or clubs were you involved in here?
We were involved in very different activities. I wasn’t much of a sports person, so I focused on clubs like the Community Outreach Club and Student Council.
Shane, on the other hand, was all about sports—he played on all the major teams like basketball, soccer, and volleyball. We did share a love for community outreach and student council, so we got to work together on those projects.
How did you first meet, and what drew you to each other?
Looking back, we were pretty different in terms of personalities. I was outgoing and loud, while Shane was more on the shy and quiet side. A lot of our friends didn’t think we’d end up together because of our differences!
We didn’t cross paths much early on, but we started getting to know each other during our junior year. We were both preparing for the ACT, and since it wasn’t offered in mainland China at the time, we had to travel to Taiwan and Hong Kong to take the test.
We spent those trips studying, traveling, and navigating the university application process together. Looking back, those trips played a huge role in strengthening our bond.
Are there any distinct memories from those early dating years?
Before we started dating, I invited Shane to hang out by saying I could make a killer bowl of beef soup noodles. In reality, I had ordered the dish from the store next to our school!
When Shane arrived, the delivery came right after, and in my nervousness, I quickly transferred everything into a bowl, hoping it looked homemade.
A couple of years later, when we were already dating, he told me he missed the noodles I’d "made" for him. I had to admit the truth—it was all takeout! It still makes us laugh every time we think about it.
Where did you go after graduation?
After high school, Shane and I went to different universities. Shane majored in economics at the University of Minnesota, and I went to New York University to study hospitality management.
Shane had always been strong in math—he was one of only two students in our class who took Math HL in the IB program. As for me, I’ve always had a passion for the travel industry, which led me to hospitality. Even though we chose different paths, we both followed what we loved, and it worked out for us.
How do you think your relationship has grown and evolved since high school?
Our relationship began toward the end of our senior year. We knew it would be long-distance since we were going off to different universities.
A lot of our friends didn’t think we’d make it, especially with the distance, but we made it work. It wasn’t easy—we took trips whenever we could during long weekends and holidays.
After two years of college, Shane went into the military for a year and a half. I remember in January 2020, we started talking about getting married on May 20th, 2020 (the day of my university graduation). The date is special in Chinese—it means "I love you.”
But then COVID hit, and everything changed. We ended up getting legally married on June 8th, 2020, which was also the day of our high school graduation (June 8th, 2016). We finally had our wedding ceremony on June 8th, 2024.
We hear a lot of your classmates were able to attend last year?
The wedding was incredibly special—many of our friends from high school flew in from Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, and the US to join us.
It was such a meaningful reunion, and we were so grateful to have our friends there to celebrate with us. It was a beautiful day full of love and friendship.
What are you both up to these days?
These days, we’re focused on running our pet brand, Hi Yeboo, which we started in 2020. Since then, we’ve both been fully involved in growing it.
The brand has since expanded into the Korean and Japanese markets, and we now have over 500 offline stores carrying our products internationally, including in two premium department stores.
We also host pop-up stores in Japan and Korea every season. It's been incredible to see our business grow, and we're excited for what's ahead.
You can follow Hi Yeboo at:
- Website: hi-yeboo.com
- IG: hi_yeboo_official