ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

Leeva Chung, Ph.D., is a professor of Communication Studies at the University of San Diego and actively engages on USD’s campus. 

Next fall, Chung will become the head of the Communication department. However, she wasn’t always sure where her career would take her. 

Throughout her life, Chung has experienced struggles with her identity and finding a suitable occupation. This journey led her to teach at USD. Now in San Diego, Chung is about eight hours from her hometown, Chinatown, San Francisco. The location in northern California is prominently known for resembling Chinese architecture, food and culture. While appreciative of her hometown, Chung plans to remain in San Diego for now.  

At the age of six, Chung’s parents divorced. Chung points out that at her young age, she was protected by her ignorance. Six-year old Chung’s oblivious attitude caused her to struggle to understand the abrupt change occurring in the household, including her father living in a different location.

Living with separate parents allowed Chung to broaden her mindset and gain new perspectives on life, allowing her to learn a valuable lesson from each. 

“I learned to get the good bits from mom – to be independent and not rely on a man,” she said. “And from  my dad, to be good, be happy, find joy and don’t worry about other people’s thoughts.”

Chung said she developed a carefree attitude from incorporating these lessons into her life. 

She received an education at Galileo High School in San Francisco. Chung described the school to be “one of the top five worst schools out of 15.” 

Chung  shared that her school experience represented a time of project living, government assistance and housing, food stamps and gangs.

“Seven percent of the school’s population was white,” she said. “The rest were minorities. And two out of the eight hundred got a Ph.D. I’m proud of it but also ‘Oh my God.’” Chung was one of the two members in her class to receive a Ph.D. and is still in contact with the other Ph.D. recipient. Both were named “most spirited” in her high school’s yearbook.

Chung elaborated that most students at her public school didn’t believe they could achieve a Ph.D., so they applied for government jobs. 

For Chung, high school was pivotal. She learned about herself and cultural identity. Growing up in a Chinese household didn’t strip Chung of her American identity, although it did cause Chung to      wonder who she truly was   inside, despite visually appearing Chinese.

“The weekends it was like being a good Chinese daughter, visiting relatives and eating Chinese food. My dad took us to China because he didn’t want us getting Americanized. During Monday through Friday, I was as American as I could be,” she said. 

As a teenager, Chung found herself deferring from traditional Chinese values, especially through her personality and appearance. 

She described herself as a teenager. 

“[I was] sassy, different but expressive, tall, not typical Chinese.” 

Chung had a reputation among her family as a problematic child and was frequently given reminders from her father of where she came from and the family she represented. 

“My poor father didn’t know what to do,” she said. “It was so hard for him to see this non-traditional Chinese daughter. He wanted to find ways to get me back and find my roots.”    

After high school, Chung completed her undergraduate journey in six years at San Francisco State University. In addition she spent two and a half years at University of California Fullerton for her master’s, and five and a half at the University of Oklahoma for her Ph.D. 

The journey was extremely time-consuming, but Chung benefited greatly as she was allowed to begin her teaching career. In her time in Oklahoma, Chung experienced a life that was different from her youth in Chinatown, which came as a sort of shock to her.

“I never understood life outside this liberal city,” Chung explained. “Living in Oklahoma impacted what I thought of the US – how we view race, difference, sexuality and what conservative actually implies.”  

Chung’s favorite class in college was not a typical academic course. Instead, it was singing for non-majors. 

“It taught me about myself, about voice, and expression, and confidence when you don’t have it. Comparing is good, but it can be the death of you,” she said. 

Instead of learning how to become a talented singer, Chung learned a valuable lesson about maintaining self-confidence. However, the class was challenging, especially because Chung couldn’t succeed in the singing techniques. 

“I would fail miserably and be really sad and upset with myself,” she described. 

 Now, at USD, Chung requires the students in her Intro to Human Communication class to sing a song’s verse acapella in front of the class. Chung encourages the students to develop independence and confidence by causing them to branch far out of their comfort zone. She stresses that the activity’s significance isn’t about whether the student maintains musical talent. Instead there is a lesson beneath the practice.  This activity allows students to harness their confidence within themselves and break away from comparison to other classmates. 

Chung struggled in college to find her major and an occupation that she wanted to pursue.

“I couldn’t choose. I didn’t find a spark,” she said. 

Chung was undeclared for most of her college experience until her junior year when she pursued Communication Studies. Chung applied for countless jobs and internships, including at an ice cream parlor, Macy’s, a telephone operator, a DJ and almost thirty others. When Chung was working as a DJ, she met with and interviewed well-known music artists including MC Hammer, Houdini and Tupac. 

“They allowed me to report the news and have my own shows for two hours a week,” she explained. 

She was among the few Asians employed there and worked at a black-run studio, and she thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.

In 1997, Chung found a job application for the University of San Diego. She said the job description fit her perfectly and she immediately filled out the application.  

Of  130 applicants, Chung received the job and is now an active University of San Diego member. Since then, she has been recognized for her teaching style and received numerous awards, such as the Davies Award for Teaching Excellence. 

Chung is continuing her twenty-sixth year at USD and striving to achieve her personal goals.

These goals include living anxiety-free, remaining relentless about her health and finding a side hustle occupation that sparks joy, including writing short stories. 

Now, Chung is moving in to a new phase in her career as she  will become the  head of the  Communication department in the Fall.  She continues to push herself and other community members, such as students beyond their comfort zone  while simultaneously seeking to achieve the goals she has for her future. 

Dr. Chung enthusiastically holds an 84 sign, signifying her graduating year. Photo courtesy of Leeva Chung