For our August Member of the Month, we interviewed superstar member Steve Fan! Read on to learn more about him.
Tell us about yourself! It can be about anything – where you grew up, your professional background, your hobbies, etc.
I spent the first ten years of my life growing up in the rural south of Taiwan (i.e. Xinying 新營). I went to a public elementary school and actually grew up under an era of Taiwanese education when Taiwanese was taught as a class in school and physical punishment was allowed. So, if you are interested in practicing Taiwanese / curious about what local Taiwanese education was like, I would love to share my experience with you at a future TAP event! Currently, I work as a strategy consultant at a boutique consulting firm, and in the long run, I am interested in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, I enjoy bouldering, playing Overwatch, and improvising on the violin. I am recently trying to get more into jazz improv on the violin – so let me know if anyone is interested in jamming together!
Why did you join TAP? What are your favorite events?
When I was an undergrad student at Columbia, I was very involved in the Taiwanese American Students Association, and I really enjoyed having a tight-knit community that shared my culture and unique experience as a Taiwanese American. Post college in New York, I knew I wanted to continue my involvement in a similar organization – and TAP is a perfect fit for me! More importantly, I really enjoyed spending time with all the people and the board members I’ve met through all the TAP events so far, and I look forward to attending even more events in the future! Specifically, I love the happy hours, climbing events, and also that one Karaoke event back in March / April. I hope there will be another Karaoke event where people have the option to sing in Mandarin too!
Tell us something cool that happened to you this past year.
This past year, I made a pretty big decision to get myself a pet parrot (yes – it’s the yellow one in the picture). Though I don’t think I have quite internalized the level of responsibility involved with taking care of a parrot when I first got him a year ago (e.g. he lives for 25 years+), I am learning to be a better owner for him everyday. Maybe one day I will bring him out to a TAP event for everyone to meet him!
If we wanted to hang out, where would we find you?
During weekends, I love to explore cool restaurants and bars, particularly jazz clubs in New York. I also like to meet my monthly exercise quota by coming to the TAP bouldering event to get a workout in!
What’s your advice for newer members who want to get more involved?
I think happy hours are a great start for new members! TAP is a very open and welcoming community, so definitely don’t hesitate to just strike up a conversation with anyone at the event! Eventually, the more events you attend, the more people you will meet – and TAP becomes a very enjoyable and rewarding experience!
