Erica Chan

Erica’s parents had to endure life under the Khmer Rouge occupation in Cambodia. She said, “Because their education was stripped away from them, they encouraged me and my sister to pursue higher education.” However, because her parents barely completed primary school, their knowledge and ability to aid Erica and her sister in their academics was limited. From being bullied for not knowing English in her first few years of school, Erica has gotten over her self-doubt after seeing what she is able to accomplish although she still struggles with the guilt of putting her goals and aspirations before her family obligations.

For over a year now, Erica has worked on a few research projects regarding STIs, violence, alcohol use disorders, and other health outcomes alongside her mentor, Dr. Tsuyuki. She has won two awards for her independent studies. At first, Erica was completely overwhelmed and felt under-qualified because she had no prior research experience. However, Dr. Tsuyuki took the time to explain things to her and provided Erica the opportunity to figure out what did and did not work for herself in terms of her working style and how she learned. Erica’s mentor is also very supportive of her career aspirations: “She constantly pushes me to do better and strive for bigger things. Because of her, I have learned more than I ever could have in my classes and have gained more confidence in myself and my abilities.”

Through UC San Diego’s EducationCorps, the Marshall College honors student began tutoring elementary school students, and last year transitioned to tutoring high schoolers. Though challenging at first, Erica shared that “tutoring is an invaluable experience because a large component of health is education, so in addition to furthering my communication and teaching skills, I am preparing for my future career in health.” At the university, she also has been a peer facilitator for an alcohol and drug risk reduction education program.

Erica's passion for health drives her career goals. Recently, she assumed the role of Director of Student Health Advocacy as part of the university's student government. Through this, she will be directly initiating and managing projects to better the health and wellbeing of the student body. Whether it be through a career in public health or medicine, Erica plans to continue advocating for the health of her community members. She specifically hopes to use her language knowledge and cultural background to serve the immigrant community, one that her parents are a part of. “My pediatrician played an essential role in my life and went above and beyond, both in her culturally sensitive care and in helping to translate for my mom when I lacked the medical knowledge to do so. She ultimately inspired me to follow her footsteps into a career in health.”