Name: Jacky Chen
Year: Junior
Major: Neuroscience/ Pre-Med
Her Campus: What are some of the activities that you’re involved in on campus?
Jacky Chen: I’m a Founding Father of the Pre-Med Chapter of Phi Delta Epsilon, President of the Pre-Med Chapter of American Medical Student Association, and a Student Government Board member elect, for which I will be officially inaugurated in January 2015. I’m also enlisted as an Army ROTC Cadet and in the Army National Guard.
HC: Of the activities you do, what are you most passionate about?
JC: I’m passionate about all of them. In the past I was also involved in Pitt Public Health Brigades and Chinese American Student Association, but I decided to focus on organizations that I truly wanted to make a difference in.
HC: So which organizations have you focused on most?
JC: As President of AMSA, I am passionate about leading this organization and seeing it grow. At first, we weren’t as organized, but slowly after some restructuring and reorganization, AMSA has become the largest association for medical students. There were some obstacles we faced, such as keeping membership because we found that at the beginning of the year we would have a huge number of people attending meetings, but by the end of the semesters, there would only be a handful that stuck around. However, I’ve seen what has worked, what hasn’t, and have seen this organization grow. Now as president, I can really take the reigns of AMSA to lead them, and be a role model or the person that our members can look to for guidance. For SGB, this is an organization that I have to be passionate about because not only am I representing the university, but also the students themselves. In this position I have a lot of influence and have to take advantage of the ability that I now have to leave an impact. So that is what I’m passionate about—making a difference.
HC: What has been your favorite or most memorable experience at Pitt thus far?
JC: I’d have to say working with CASA for their New Year Event last semester, when I was the Public Relations Chair. It was the first year they had a committee, but we were able to get around 400 people to attend, including families and people outside of Pitt. I was really proud that we got such a high turnout and that we got so much out of it because it was really about pushing for cultural awareness. The people there were exposed to Chinese culture through music, dance, and food, and the fact that that many people attended was incredible.
HC: What are some of your plans for the future?
JC: As far as AMSA goes, now that we’re the largest student association for medical students, I want it to be the most influential, the group that has it all for prospective medical students. For me, I want to go to medical school in hopes of becoming a surgeon for the Army, particularly for trauma patients, although I could see myself going in the direction of pediatrics or becoming a neurologist. I would also like to run for governor, so maybe one day, you’ll see me campaigning to become the next governor of New York!
Image credit: Photo provided by the celeb