[9] Tu attended Northwestern University for two years; she considered majoring in environmental science but ultimately found its subject matter too depressing.
[19] Post-college, Tu worked at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, a small bookstore one of her Asian-American studies professors owned.
[20] Also in the Bay, Tu co-founded and hosted a monthly comedy show at White Horse Bar in Oakland called Man Haters.
She also began performing at venues ranging from Fais Do-Do[28] and Dynasty Typewriter[29] to the Ace Hotel and Geeky Teas & Games.
In 2019, Tu toured as part of Minority Retort, a Portland-based, stand-up comedy show featuring only comedians of color.
She also continued touring, performing at venues such as Cobb's Comedy Club,[32] Montgomery College's Cultural Arts Center at Silver Spring,[33] and the Brooklyn Museum,[34][35] among others.
She finally realized she was gay while attending summer camp at the University of Chicago; a girl she had a crush on told her she was funny, and the realization was near-instantaneous.
[39] Tu also notes that she was always drawn to female characters in cartoons and television shows[40] and had a crush on Harry Potter actress Emma Watson.