Tina Cohen-Chang

Living… with her family in Lima, Ohio. She frequently mentions her parents, claiming her father is an “Asian vampire” and that her mother refused to let her watch Twilight. She also admits that before joining the glee club, her only Facebook friends were her parents. Since we never see her family, we’ll have to take Tina’s word for it.

Profession… McKinley High student. Though she’s very shy and fairly insecure, Tina is a good singer and becomes a founding member of the New Directions, the school’s glee club. She’s a much better singer than she is a talker – she has a speech impediment when she joins the group. Through the club, she begins to open up a bit and make friends. She also reveals that her speech impediment was just an act she’d been putting on for years; she had wanted to drive other people away because she was so shy.

Interests… dressing like a Goth, expressing herself nonverbally. Tina seems comfortable being mostly in the background, which is good because that’s usually where she’s placed – for better or worse. Glee club director Mr. Schuester does try to give her solos even when she is new to the group, but Tina is not featured as much as many of her fellow members. 

Relationship Status… dating (sorta) fellow glee club member Artie Abrams. Artie is in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t bother Tina. Though it does bother her when he tells her to wear more revealing clothing. Thankfully, he apologizes. 

Challenge… gaining self-confidence. Tina joined the glee club in order to put herself out there, maybe for the first time. After some practices and performances, it’s obvious that Tina is becoming more self-assured in her abilities as a singer and performer. That in turn makes her more comfortable expressing herself in other parts of her life. It also means the fake stutter is gone for good.

Personality… shy, quiet, strange, and awkward. When people give her compliments she tends to respond with deflections like, “You don’t have to say that.” Tina tends to scare off some people due to her gothic dress and quiet nature. Through glee club, however, her personality begins to change for the better. She becomes more open and overcomes a lot of her anxieties about who she is and how she acts.