Tuesday, November 4, 1997
Student glamour
Sophia Mei-ling Chang receives much deserved national
recognition as
guiding mentor to helpless children
By Teresa Jun
Daily Bruin Contributor
It’s the 90s — a decade that witnessed the birth of the WNBA,
Madonna’s baby, and Hillary Clinton as we know her.
In recognition of the growing range of women’s accomplishments
and potential as future leaders, Glamour magazine honors college
seniors every year in its Top Ten College Women of the Year
contest. And this year, one of the winners is a UCLA student.
Sophia Mei-ling Chang, a fourth-year sociology and urban policy
double major, hopes to improve the country’s public education
system, first as a schoolteacher and later as a policy-maker.
Chosen for her outstanding scholastic achievement, community
involvement, and leadership experience, Chang has, according to
Glamour magazine, "the muscle and brains to change the
country."
Chang demonstrates scholastic excellence in the genuine interest
and focus she shows in her field of study. Graduating a quarter
early with a degree in sociology and urban policy, a major she
designed herself, this recipient of two UCLA research grants plans
to go on to law school, hoping to learn more about public policy
and its impact on the public education system.
"In her Honors Collegium classes, her stellar record as a
student was apparent to me," said Jennifer Wilson, a professor in
Honors Programs who has taught Chang in some of her classes and
even encouraged her to apply for this contest.
"When I see students who are capable (of winning a scholarship),
I put them forward," Wilson said, who remembers helping another
UCLA student win this contest a few years ago. "I pointed the
contest out to Sophia. I’m very proud of her."
In addition to being featured in last month’s issue of Glamour,
Chang and the other winners of this contest were each awarded
$1,000 cash as well as an all-expense paid weekend in New York
where they got to meet with professional role models in their
fields.
Chang’s $1,000 has already been spent to defray the costs of a
recent trip to Shanghai, where she studied the effects of urban
modernization on children and the education system.
Glamour magazine also recognized Chang for her active
involvement in the community outside the classroom. Having
volunteered for UCLA’s Asian Education Project and Hunger Project
since her freshman year, Chang’s dedication to community service
and education has been unfaltering.
Last spring, Chang even received the Chancellor’s Humanitarian
Award at UCLA for outstanding contributions and commitment to
public service. She and two other recipients each received $300 to
donate to the community service organization of their choice.
Chang donated her $300 to Harmony Place, a relatively young
subproject of Hunger Project which provides fun activities and
mentorships to homeless children.
"These children are homeless, so they’re constantly moving,"
Chang explains. "They jump from school to school, so they can’t get
involved in sports and other organizations on campus. So Harmony
Place provides programming to help them get through the transition
process of homelessness."
More than just volunteer for the project, Chang spent two years
as a Director of Harmony Place, and consequently, its umbrella
project, Hunger Project.
"Sophia’s amazing. She’s so dedicated," describes Jennifer Wolf,
a fourth year communications and sociology major who has been
Chang’s roommate since freshman year. "She gives a lot of help to
the people who need it the most."
Chang’s leadership abilities don’t end there. Two summers ago,
she interned in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Department of
Education. Working in the office of elementary and secondary
education, Chang helped organize a database collection on Title I,
which is government aid allocated to children in poverty through
the public school system.
"Washington D.C. was a good experience," Chang said. "I want to
do policy work later, but for now I want to work with people and
children."
Chang’s interest in children was sparked in high school when she
volunteered in an obstetrics ward in a hospital.
This service-oriented student also credits her parents as the
inspiration behind her efforts. Chang’s father has taught at many
levels of education and even served as an educational
administrator. Chang’s mother works for the Department of Social
Services, where she deals with welfare and food stamps.
From her parents’ experience, "I learned the importance of
working with people in need and helping to meet those needs," Chang
said. "I’m always surrounded by the idea of helping people."
Ideally, Chang would like everyone to get involved in some kind
of community service in order to make a real difference in the
world.
"I see community service as an integral part of life," she told
Glamour magazine. "It’s not an extra, it’s a duty."