Thu was born in Nienburg (Niedersachsen), Germany, and raised in the Bremen area. After graduating from high school, she moved to Braunschweig, where she got her Master of Education for German and Mathematics. Furthermore, she got certified to teach the German language to non-native speakers. Prior to starting her second state examination, Thu taught for two years at the department of German studies at the University of Braunschweig, where she trained incoming teachers.

After finishing her second state examination, Thu joined the Oberschule am Goldbach in Langwedel, where she became a teacher for German and Mathematics. She also led the “Willkommensklasse”, a class for non-native speakers, founded to integrate language beginners in the regular school life as quickly as possible.

Due to a career opportunity, Thu and her husband moved to the Chicago area and are looking forward to living and working in the United States. Now she works as a homeroom teacher at the German International School Chicago.