EMBRACING OPPORTUNITY: AN INSPIRATION FOR MHCC

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Mt. Hood Community College gained a true inspiration in the spring of 2017.

Shi Wen Wong grew up raised by her grandmother in Malaysia, and never thought she would be beginning an important part of her life here at Mt. Hood. Now, she enjoys helping other students find their own way.

Shi Wen grew up without her parents. Her father passed away soon after she was born, and her mother moved to the United States to find financial stability when the currency exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Malaysian ringgit was high, as she explained in an essay for the Phi Theta Kappa student honor society.

Only in December 2016 did Shi Wen immigrate to the U.S. to attend college after graduating high school in Malaysia.

The first couple of months were tough, because her English wasn’t at its best. After taking the College Placement Test, she was placed into the Intensive English for College and Careers program. She soon realized the English she had learned in high school was very formal compared to how people actually talk here. And this made her struggle with confidence and self-acceptance, she wrote.

Then came an opportunity: When one of her instructors told her that there was an opening in the Associated Student Government (ASG) and that she should consider applying, she did. It helped her work on her English by putting her out of her comfort zone, and resulting in more growth. She can now read, write, understand, and communicate in English with fluency.

GETTING ACTIVE

Shi Wen is working on an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree and will graduate from Mt. Hood this spring. Her goal is to become a math professor. She’s loved math from a young age, and knows that her math skills and proficiency in four languages (English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Malay) will give her the chance for global career opportunities.

Her first year in ASG was focused on being the Community Affairs and Outreach Representative. She was also involved in Rho Theta, Mt. Hood’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, from November 2017 to September 2018. She then changed positions to being the Special Events Coordinator.

This Winter Term she is now the Student Activities Representative. She is also a part-time assessment clerk for the Adult Basic Skills department at MHCC.

A major role for Shi Wen is to serve as a liaison between the ASG and Student Activities team to make sure that every member of these two organizations is on the same page. That includes planning for all events that Student Activities offers.

One of Shi Wen’s favorite things to do is to plan events, so for her this became one of her favorite jobs in ASG, she says. One of her biggest goals is to get as many students involved in the activities hosted throughout the year.

“We prepare all of this for students so they should come and receive the things that are here for them,” she says.

PLANNING IS KEY

Shi Wen is taking 16 credits this term, but still manages to be a 4.0 GPA student while attending meetings and planning events for MHCC. She says that planning and time management is essential for her success in school, and that of other students. She recommends that students prioritize this because it is something that helps her in her everyday life, too.

“If I can do it, other people can do it,” she says.

Currently Shi Wen and the Student Activities team are working on the Love Yourself event – a self-defense workshop set for noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Valentine’s Day, in the Fireplace Lounge at the Student Union.

While many people may use this day to celebrate with a partner, Shi says students should consider this a day to celebrate themselves: in other words, they must learn to love themselves before loving someone else. One way to do so is by learning how to defend themselves.

During the event, Student Activities members will be handing out roses and cards where students can write compliments and hand them out to other students. Everyone is invited including students, faculty, and staff, regardless of gender.

Light refreshments will be provided.

In whatever role Shi Wen takes on, she wants to know others can follow in her path, whether or not they are still learning English.

“For those that are learning a new language, don’t give up,” she says. “I know it’s hard, but if you are willing to put the time in(to) it, you will achieve it.”

– Cassie Wilson contributed reporting for this story.

Advocate Staff