Occasionally, you meet someone who genuinely embodies the kind of superhuman balance that you can only dream of in college. That’s Amy Chau. When she first signed on to be the HC Chatham Social Media Director, she became the voice of our chapter on Facebook and Twitter. Since September 2013, she works to connect the Chatham community with polished expertise. Her excellence only echoes the fact that she’s a powerhouse in every area of her life.
Let’s start with her major. “I am pursuing an Accelerated Graduate Program in which I receive a Bachelors degree of Biochemistry and a Masters degree of Forensic Science.” Classes such as The Cell and Organic Chemistry fuel her passion. “I enjoy working in laboratories and doing experiments,” she says. “I enjoy reading about controlled substances in journal articles.” It’s a good thing, too: Chau will likely go on to do biochemical research of national importance. Her dream job? “Drug analyst at FBI Forensic Laboratory,” she says. “The FBI crime lab is the largest and most advanced laboratory in the country. I would love to work with professionals in a high-tech environment.”
While she’s forming the foundation for her own career, she’s also sparking the ambition of a new generation. As an Interactive Exhibit Presenter at the Carnegie Science Center, she’s personally showing children the value of STEM fields. “I do demonstrations and explain the science behind them,” she says. “I enjoy teaching visitors and know that they learn something at the Science Center.”
Just as she shares her love for science with visitors to the Science Center, she also communicates her love for Chatham to prospective Cougars as a Student Ambassador. While she’s often traversing campus with visitors, Chau herself took an unusual path to Chatham. Having moved to Philadelphia from Hong Kong when she was twelve, Chau had never actually set foot on Woodland Road. “I neither visited the school before I applied, nor talked to professors,” she recalls. “I chose Chatham because of the generous financial aid package. When I visited at Accepted Student Day, I instantly fell in love with the campus and enjoyed talking with professors. I knew at that moment I made the right choice.” Now, she spends hours of each week guiding others through the same decision. “I love to tell students and family about my experience here at Chatham,” she says. “I enjoy ‘showing off’ the good of Chatham, like the environment, the professors, the perks of being a Chatham student.”
To sum it up: Chau is a Biochemistry major, a Carnegie Science Center Interactive Exhibit Presenter, a Student Ambassador, Founder/Secretary of the Asian Culture Association, a member of the Undergraduate Budget Committee, member of Music Club, and the Social Media Director of Her Campus Chatham. And somehow, through the long days and late nights her commitments require, she still finds unbelievable joy. “I am proud of taking on leadership positions….Chatham women initiate and take charge.” She really is the perfect example.