Samantha Chan
Public Health :: Sally & Louis Higger Scholar
- Profile
Profile
By choosing a major in Public Health with a minor in Public Service at Thurgood Marshall College, Samantha is well on her way to achieving her goal of working directly with communities to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to underserved populations. She is already an Emergency Medical Responder, while taking classes to become an Emergency Medical Technician to improve her skills. Being a woman and a Chinese Filipino American, she has learned that recognition and change do not come without the necessary work, patience and determination. “Changing the stereotypes of women in STEM and the contradiction present for healthcare workers of color may seem unattainable, but even small steps toward transition would mean the world to me.”
In high school, Samantha joined her school’s science team and captained the local Science Olympiad. There she explored the “technology” side of STEM and fell in love with the freedom and creativity that existed. She wanted to introduce more of her peers to the possibilities of STEM. “This came to fruition when I worked as an Executive Leader of the virtual hackathon, AIHacks II, where my team and I introduced over 250 female and non-binary students to AI, hosted 15 tech-based workshops, and brought in 19 guest speakers.” This led to taking free science experiments to local schools at all levels, and learning the value of exposure and education.
UC San Diego produced a sense of gratitude in Samantha and she wanted to give back to her college, which she did through Thurgood Vibes. “In directing the sold-out concert, I was the liaison between faculty, student committees, and artist managers. Managing a $50,000 budget, I focused on Marshall’s values of creativity and inclusion to secure a free concert with a well-established headliner and free merchandise.”
“At the cornerstone of community and healthcare, I found the perfect combination of how I wanted to create impact via a public health education. I hope to take my education with me beyond college to create positive impact to communities globally.”
In high school, Samantha joined her school’s science team and captained the local Science Olympiad. There she explored the “technology” side of STEM and fell in love with the freedom and creativity that existed. She wanted to introduce more of her peers to the possibilities of STEM. “This came to fruition when I worked as an Executive Leader of the virtual hackathon, AIHacks II, where my team and I introduced over 250 female and non-binary students to AI, hosted 15 tech-based workshops, and brought in 19 guest speakers.” This led to taking free science experiments to local schools at all levels, and learning the value of exposure and education.
UC San Diego produced a sense of gratitude in Samantha and she wanted to give back to her college, which she did through Thurgood Vibes. “In directing the sold-out concert, I was the liaison between faculty, student committees, and artist managers. Managing a $50,000 budget, I focused on Marshall’s values of creativity and inclusion to secure a free concert with a well-established headliner and free merchandise.”
“At the cornerstone of community and healthcare, I found the perfect combination of how I wanted to create impact via a public health education. I hope to take my education with me beyond college to create positive impact to communities globally.”
