July Alumni Spotlight: Michelle Yuan (Opportunities Plus)

This month’s alumni spotlight shines on Michelle Yuan, an Opportunities Plus alumna from Chantilly High School in Virginia.

After graduating high school, Michelle attended the College of William and Mary where she double majored in government and environmental studies.

When she entered college, she thought she wanted to work in international development and policy, but while there she was exposed to many new subjects she hadn’t considered, including environmental issues. She realized that environmental challenges were often related to development issues, leading her to continue her studies at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, where she graduated with a Masters in Environmental Management.

She now works for the materials science company Avery Dennison as a Sustainability and Innovation Project Manager and she helps set their North American sustainability strategy.

We spoke to Michelle about her journey and here is what she had to say:

"I immigrated to the U.S. when I was really young with my mom and sister from Taiwan. It was challenging for my mom to be able to provide that kind of guidance to us just because she didn’t have that same experience. I think there are a lot of nuances and differences in terms of career development and academics that differ between others countries and the United States.

My classmates had parents who could provide them guidance on career choices, types of classes, and questions to ask when you are looking at your options after high school, and so on. Many of my classmates also had parents who were well connected and could help them get their first internship or job. This access to connections that matter is called social capital. I didn’t get a lot of guidance or those same built-in opportunities. It was really up to my sister and me to figure out our own way, what needs to be done, and how to do it.

This is a really common challenge that's often part of the immigrant experience. While it was challenging, this is not insurmountable. Not having social capital through your family means that you may have to work harder to build it in other ways. Being in an area like northern Virginia provides access to social capital. That’s also where organizations like Liberty’s Promise can come in. My internship through Liberty’s Promise helped me gain experience, exposure, and I have no doubt, helped me get accepted to the College of William and Mary, leading me to where I am today. 

Michelle was one of the first interns placed when the program started in the summer of 2006 here are some words of wisdom from her experience: 

I heard about Liberty’s Promise through my career development center and interned at the DC Mayors Office of Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs. I had a really good experience; it was a great introduction to the work environment and invaluable exposure. It was my first time pulling together a resume and going through a formal interview process.

I encourage students and young professionals to take advantage of the services Liberty’s Promise and what your high school’s career services can offer for an interview and resume prep. It is very helpful to get feedback and guidance when building your resume. It helps you to understand what the expectations are, what potential employers are looking for and gets you used to the process for other opportunities in the future because resumes are now requested by everything from scholarships to study abroad opportunities. It is also helpful to have someone to run through interview questions so you are prepared to talk about your resume during your interview. Beyond just getting help on these tactical items, working through these channels will also help you as you learn to navigate networking and find new opportunities because the staff at Liberty’s Promise, your high school guidance office, career services, etc will also have their own network and will know of other programs, internships, scholarships that you may be able to take advantage of. 

"I was really lucky that I was able to go to William and Mary through scholarships and financial aid. William and Mary was the perfect incubator for me, it enabled me to figure out and then focus on what I was passionate about. It was where I got to my academic peak because it was a really supportive environment.

I don’t think I had nearly that same level of support in high school. I bloomed in college because of the support of teachers, classmates, and an amazing environment where I could ask a lot of questions and get insightful answers from all the people around me who were just as eager to learn as me. For the first time in my life, I was encouraged to pursue what I was passionate about and given the resources to do it.

William and Mary, like many other colleges, offered funding and grants for independent studies, internships, study abroad experiences, student activities, and other opportunities as long as you could justify it and had a vision. It gave me a platform to launch my career. There are a lot of other platforms like this, students just have to find their platform.

I also encourage students to really think about what their natural strengths are, what they enjoy doing, and what they want to do on a day-to-day basis. Figure out how you can do that in a field you are interested in because when you start a career, what you do day to day really determines whether you are happy and less so dependent on what industry you work in.

"I encourage alumni to take pride in being scrappy and resilient. The strength to boldly confront adversity, whether as an immigrant, first-generation student, or your unique circumstances, is something that you should hold on to. If you can find your niche, those skills will set you apart. It is tough to get through a lot of the challenges to get to your platform and find your niche. It’s natural to struggle through that, but once you are through, you will be so thankful because those experiences make you so much stronger.

"I see how much better I deal with challenges compared to others in the workplace and a lot of that grit that I have is because of my background. So throughout my academic career, I was constantly applying to things and looking for new “out of the box” opportunities. After my internship with Liberty’s Promise, I continued looking for new internship opportunities. That really helped me figure out what I wanted to do. 

"Going back to the concept of social capital and the ability to access the right people, I was able to gain that through internships, college, and organizations like Liberty’s Promise. I was able to work my way into things and every job and some of the most incredible experiences I have had has been through networking. So, there is something powerful to be said about having the grit and ambition to go after opportunities. This kind of mentality led me to study abroad in Scotland, intern in the Bahamas, and even have the opportunity to attend a United Nations Conference on Climate Change! If there is an opportunity, jump on it because you have no idea where it will end up.”