Huafu Chen did not speak his first word of English until second grade. The word was teacher.
Huafu — or Alan to pretty much everyone — Chen also did not meet his father until he was in second grade. Determined to build a better life, his father, Ai He, immigrated to the United States from China shortly after Alan was born. He worked in a restaurant and sent money back to the members of his young family, who were living with grandparents. Alan’s mother, Yu Mei Chi, came to the U.S. a few years later, and, in September 2000, Huafu arrived. The reunited family made its new home in Des Moines, Iowa. Alan remembers that as an immigrant, he was almost literally “one in a thousand” in school.
Alan learned to speak English, which, of course, during an Iowa autumn includes learning about football and corn festivals. Ai He Chen dreamed of purchasing a business of his own, so the family struggled and saved. When an opportunity came along, he grabbed it. The Chens moved to Minoqua, Wisconsin, and opened the Hunan Chinese Restaurant in 2001.
Bascom Hill Society Scholarship – 2014 Recipient Alan Chen from UW Foundation on Vimeo.
In addition to English, Alan learned about ice fishing, brats, the Packers, cheese curds and determination. For the first six years, the Chens worked every day except Christmas Eve. Eventually, they also took off on Thanksgiving to be together as a family, which now included two daughters.
Surprisingly, Alan was placed in a group of slower learners in grade school. He knew, however, that if he wanted to go to college, he would have to make changes. Alan’s teacher recognized his drive and intelligence, so she worked to help him move into the advanced group, which allowed him to take college-prep high school courses.
As a high school junior, Alan solidified his decision to become a Badger. “I visited [the university] on a Latin club trip, and I could just feel something in the air. I knew I had to come here.”
Over the last three years, Alan has earned a 3.833 GPA, with a 3.9 in science courses. He has also impressed his instructors with his maturity in addition to his intelligence and diligence. John Klatt, assistant dean for student development in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, wrote in Alan’s scholarship recommendation letter, “I have worked with many talented students, but I have rarely seen this level of leadership from an undergraduate.”
In 2012, as a sophomore, Alan joined the lab of Dr. Ronald Kalil, director of the Neuroscience and Public Policy Program in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the School of Medicine and Public Health, where he works on a research project involving the transplantation of human neural stem cells to the traumatically injured brain. Dr. Kalil notes that most faculty would mistake Alan for a graduate student. “This is a very complicated project… For most students, it would take a full academic year to master the diverse methods and difficult procedures involved, but Alan became competent in all of them in one semester because he is unusually intelligent and is a focused and determined worker.”
Recently, Dr. Michael Garren, a professor of surgery in the School of Medicine and Public Health, spoke to future medical students. His story inspired Alan to consider a career in surgery, so this summer he had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Garren. He also worked in the St. Mary’s Hospital emergency room.
What does a devoted scientist and future physician do with his free time? Last winter, Alan participated in a Wisconsin Union Alternative Breaks trip to the Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. He and fellow students helped people with disabilities to enjoy snowboarding and skiing. “I had the pleasure of working with students who had Down Syndrome, visual impairment and cerebral palsy,” he said. “Each one I met carried around an ear-to-ear smile that would brighten the room every day. Even when struggling on the slopes, it was that same smile that resonated with excitement, joy and appreciation. All of my activities have given me the opportunity to touch many lives, and many of those lives have touched mine.”
While it’s easy to imagine Alan Chen as a compassionate surgeon and a committed researcher, it’s also easy to imagine this devoted son washing dishes late into the night to help his mother and father. “While neither of my parents had post-secondary schooling, I have been blessed with the luxury of attending a world-class university. I am inexplicably grateful for the Bascom Hill Society Scholarship and promise to do my best to be worthy of this honor.”