Directorate Board Introduction: Qian Yee (Jenny) Fam

Hello friends! My name is Jenny Fam. I’m a second-year Master’s student studying Higher Education Administration at William & Mary, Virginia.

Role as Vice-Chair for Sponsored Program.

As the Vice-Chair for Sponsored Programs, my role in CGDSD is to make decisions based upon the reviewed proposals submitted for sponsorship/co-sponsorship. When I receive the notification from the ACPA Program Team, I read through reviews for each proposal, reach out to other entity groups to see if they are interested to co-sponsor a proposal, discuss with my co-chair, and finally make a decision whether to accept or decline the sponsorship request. The process is rather simple but time-sensitive.

Journey to Higher Education.

I’m really happy to be at where I am today. My undergraduate journey had definitely changed my mindset and helped me to realize my passion to be in the Student Affairs field. During my undergraduate, as an international student, it was difficult for me to navigate through spaces, especially as an introvert. I was glad that I took a huge step out of my comfort zone to become an orientation leader. I was totally a different person in front of new students, parents, and guests. A more confident self. That was when I realized that providing assistance and support to students was my source of motivation.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The Student Affairs field is small, but it can be very overwhelming when you are brand new to this field. Student Affairs wasn’t a common field for many international students from my undergrad and I had no idea where to begin my search for grad school. I was also very bad at asking for help because I didn’t want to come out as incompetent. But if I were to go through the same process again, I would definitely reach out to so many more people that I know and don’t know. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of curiosity to learn.

Take up that opportunity.

Two years of graduate school is not as long as I thought. I’m now about 75% done and every day I wonder where my time went. One thing I appreciated was pushing myself to take up other roles in the past year because I know opportunities will be different once I graduate and enter the field as a full-time professional. I joined the Higher Education Student Association (HESA) board, coordinated a program for the Reves Center for International Students and Scholars, became a teaching assistant for a Wellness Peer Advocacy class and hopefully, more to come. These experiences provided me a better understanding of the Student Affairs field from different perspectives. Remember, opportunities don’t just come to you miraculously, you need to catch them as they pass by.

But of course, practice self-care.

In Student Affairs, our everyday role is to provide help. It’s easy to forget that we need help too. With so many different roles, burnout can be pretty common. I am really lucky to have colleagues that always reminded me to practice self-care because no one is responsible for my own wellbeing but myself. Take time off when needed. Learn how to communicate boundaries and limits. If I am unable to take care of myself, I will not be able to help students.

Moving forward, I hope to continue to support the wellbeing of students and staff, doesn’t matter which functional area I ended up in. I thrive when others thrive!

Bio of Qian Yee (Jenny) Fam)

Qian Yee (Jenny) was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is an alumna from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a B.S. in Biochemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she assisted in international programs and orientation, which led her to pursue her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration at W&M.  She is the graduate assistant at the Office of Sustainability, facilitating various initiatives and collaborating with offices across campus to close the gap between environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This past summer, she spent her time at the Bay area as an Assistant Residence Director for Summer Session at the University of California, Berkeley!