A Conversation with Incoming Minerva Graduate Student Celeste Fang

This is part of a series of profiles introducing students from Minerva’s incoming Fall 2025 graduate class. If you would like to learn more about our programs, please visit our website.

Sustainability has been a defining element of Celeste Fang’s career and life. She built an eco-conscious children’s education center in China and later established a sustainability consulting company in Taiwan. Her work focuses on integrating environmental and social values into business and education. Now, as a Minerva Master’s in Decision Making and Applied Analytics (MDA) student, she hopes to refine her approach using data-driven insights to expand the impact of her work.

Born and raised in Taiwan, Celeste began her career as a language teacher, trainer, director, and editor, taking small but determined steps to build her professional path. She spent over a decade living and working in China, where she was first recruited as a Chief Operation Director for a language school in Hangzhou. She then became an entrepreneur, founding a children’s learning center that combined English education with hands-on experiences in nature, cooking, and crafts. Each tiny step led to small but meaningful gains, ultimately opening the door to a new opportunity as a Campus Director in Beijing, where she continued to emphasize experiential learning.

However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return to Taiwan, where she had to start over in a business landscape that placed more emphasis on formal degrees than hands-on experience. She first worked as a language consultant and eventually took on the challenge of building a multi-purpose sustainability hub from the ground up. She managed everything from renovation to operations, creating a space that combined a vegan restaurant, a bakery, a veggie-friendly supermarket, a coffee shop, and event spaces—all designed to make sustainability accessible and tangible for everyday consumers.

“We wanted to show people that adopting a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult. People come for a meal and leave with new knowledge—about veggie-friendly options, reducing waste, or ethical consumer choices.”

Celeste did not stop there. She went on to co-found a company dedicated to helping businesses achieve long-term sustainability in operations, leadership, and employee relationships. Through consulting, mentoring, product design, employee training, and learning and development programs, her company offers a holistic approach to building resilient and sustainable organizations.

“We advise businesses on how to create sustainable products, implement effective strategies, and build cultures that prioritize sustainability, well-being, and continuous growth. It’s about proving that sustainability isn’t just the ‘right’ thing to do but also a smart business decision.”

Despite her extensive experience in sustainability and education, Celeste felt that something was missing: a structured, data-backed approach to measuring impact. That realization led her to Minerva’s MDA program. Minerva’s emphasis on applied problem-solving particularly appealed to her.
Beyond sustainability, Celeste is also deeply committed to gender equity in leadership.

“In many industries, especially in Taiwan and China, leadership is still male-dominated. I want to change that narrative and show that women belong at the decision-making table. Through this program, I hope to strengthen my leadership skills and set an example for other women aspiring to lead in business and sustainability.”

As she progresses through the MDA program, Celeste remains open to new opportunities. Whether she continues growing her consulting business, takes on a leadership role in a global NGO, or launches a new venture, one thing is certain: her work will always be driven by impact.