Joy Chen medium shot

Sophomore Joy Chen

Sometimes a job can do more than help pay the bills; it can lead to a scholarship. Joy Chen, a UW Bioengineering sophomore from Shoreline, Wash., has received a UW Libraries Student Employee Scholarship. She is being honored at a reception March 3.

The award is open to library student employees who have worked at a UW library for at least one academic quarter. Applicants write an essay about their contributions to UW Libraries or how the libraries have supported their personal, professional or academic growth, and provide a recommendation letter and academic transcript.

Joy has been a user experience assistant for the Health Sciences Library (HSL) since September 2021. She plans to apply the $1,000 scholarship to her tuition. The award is a funded by a variety of sources, including individual donors, the Friends of the UW Libraries and 14 named scholarship endowments. Joy received the Anne Repass Endowed Student Support Scholarship.

Joy’s interest in biology and science began at an early age. “My dad would show me nature documentaries on TV, and I found them so interesting,” she said. She also enjoyed engineering and had a difficult time deciding between studying biology or engineering. “In my mind, engineering was making cars and things like that,” Joy said. “Then I learned about bioengineering, which is a combination of the two, and that was perfect for me.” Her work at the HSL gives her exposure to many science publications, which piques her interest across a range of fields.

Volunteer with HuskyADAPT

In addition to school and her work at the HSL, Joy is a volunteer ambassador with HuskyADAPT, a UW organization that adapts toys to have better accessibility for children with disabilities. “Toys on the market are for children without disabilities,” Joy shared. “As an ambassador, I help spread the message about the importance of accessible play. Play is a really important part of growth and development.”

Joy also helps with HuskyADAPT events, including its first-ever CADathon, held Feb. 21-28, which focused on designing accessible switches that can be 3D-printed and donated along with the club’s adapted toys. Joy helped design a grading rubric for the competition.