Jonathan was born and raised in Changchun, China, where he first learnt English. Upon arriving in Canada in 2004, he began his Welding and Fitting DEP at the Nova Career Centre. He would go on to complete the ASP in High-Pressure Welding there as well while working full time. After working in various companies as a welder and team-lead for 10 years, he returned to Nova as a welding teacher in 2015.