School of Communication Studies associate professor, Mei-Chen Lin has been a Golden Flash since 2003. Lin teaches courses for both undergraduate and graduate students, including foundations of communication, relational communication, intercultural communication and international communication.
Lin loves getting her students involved in rewarding class projects that will benefit them in and outside of the classroom. In previous semesters of her intercultural communication class, Lin has assigned some projects to help directly immerse her students into intercultural communication. She paired her students up with international students to expose them to new cultures. This experience requires the students to spend time together and learn about a culture different from their own.
“At first, students are usually nervous about this experience, but by the end, they tend to enjoy it,” Lin said.
Lin also has a passion for researching generational and elder communication along with communication relating to one’s identity.
“I like looking at how grandparents and grandchildren communicate with one another,” Lin said. “I would love to spend more time researching the communication within the issue of elder abuse.”
When Lin is not teaching in the classroom, you can find her either hiking her favorite trails, volunteering her time with student ministries through her church or traveling around the world. Lin has had the opportunity to travel to many places, including Germany, Japan, Korea and, her favorite city, London. She also often travels back to her home country of Taiwan to visit her family.
“London is my favorite place to travel,” Lin said. “There is so much to do there. It is so convenient and cultured.”
When it comes to be successful in college, Lin suggests that students need to be curious and forward-thinking.
“Be curious about what people tell you and challenge it, think critically about it, and think about the opportunities around you. Be curious about your professors and what research they are working on,” Lin said. “Don’t take your professors’ words for granted. Think about what they say and apply it.”