Meet The Team
AVENGERS UNITE!
By Jocelyn Tsai, Mackenzie Lee, and Madison Corliss
Cue The Office theme song. As many meetings go, the atmosphere, whether chaotic or organized to the tip, is a representation and effect of those that are collaborating together. For AmSTEA, the founders, Christina Zhang, Vanessa Man, and Maggie Qi, from the get-go, showed clear initiative to let every member know what was needed to be accomplished from the agenda. The agenda provided a perfect compass for the conversations to ensure, at any point in time, their meeting would get back on track if discussions wandered off course. To be a successful organization there can not be a lack of fun. There was no doubt AmSTEA provided a sense of fun, all whilst being proactive in completing all the necessary items. The fun vibes began right when everyone met, and, very importantly, a friendly, inclusive environment was shown right away to the newcomers. From the ongoing laughter anywhere one would turn as the lively, collaborative videos were being filmed for an upcoming project to the nonchalant side conversations, there would be in between video sessions, AmSTEA undoubtedly passed the vibe check effortlessly. Smiles never left the faces of anyone. As crunch time came towards the end of the meeting, bits of chaos did ensue, especially in one of the private breakrooms with humorous remarks from opposing members about current subjects in today’s world. The laughter could not diminish and it was as if all the members only wanted to continue to go on tangent after tangent.
Zhang and Man recognized this behavior and perceptively understood it was time to get everyone back on track to finish the meeting. Important matters were needed to be discussed, as the voices of each member were highly crucial to the backbone of continuing a burgeoning organization. Collaboration is key. All persons gathered in that infamous breakroom with ears perched and were eminently engaged. No mid moment was met throughout the informative deliberation as everyone remained entertained because of the fervent arguments between the heads of the group. This kind of spirited discord should be viewed as a valuable asset to bettering AmSTEA for both comical and business purposes. Two brains are better than one here as this form of collaboration produced better accustomed strategies for AmSTEA to utilize to obtain their goals. Nonetheless, AmSTEA’s team meeting allowed for every single member to feel like they are a part of working towards something bigger than themselves through an atmosphere anyone would be eager to be included in. The fact AmSTEA’s milieu was found to be so endearing and inviting at such an early stage shows great potential for the future of the organization.
However, this team would not be complete without each individual that continues to contribute their time and effort into this organization. Each person offers their own unique experience, perspective, and snack recommendations in order to effectively accomplish each goal the members set. These members have different backgrounds, strengths & weaknesses, hobbies, and many different traits that culminate into our team:
Christina Zhang
Christina Zhang currently presides as the president of AmSTEA Student Association Body. On a daily basis she oversees all operations to ensure AmSTEA runs as smoothly as possible. During meetings, Zhang often leads each conversation and acts as a visionary for the organization. Because of her ability to maintain a clear goal for the organization and understand the persistence needed for it to achieve, Zhang is able to continuously guide the board members and organization to consistent and substantial progress. Moreover, in every part of her life she shows true dedication and passion which allows for her to continue dreaming bigger. Zhang participates in many activities, however tennis has impacted her the most. Through tennis, she has not only discovered a passion but also “discover[ed] a lot of meaningful friendships in the tennis circle.” Zhang consistently inspires others through her proactive leadership and “always manages to make people smile” Annabelle Kong says.
Maggie Qi
Maggie Qi currently presides as the vice president of AmSTEA Student Association Body. She is responsible for assisting the president with her tasks and managing the department’s tasks. During meetings, Maggie often acts as a mediator and actively welcomes everyone’s opinions. She willingly listens to everyone’s argument before forming an opinion and avoids making assumptions. This trait allows everyone to feel comfortable and she ensures that the “atmosphere is always warm and welcoming towards others,” Christina Zhang says. Outside of AmSTEA and the meetings, Maggie likes to dance in the style of hip hop and currently trains with the GRV dance company. Although dancing is one of Maggie’s favorite hobbies, it often dominates her schedule. Because of this, Maggie has learned how to utilize her time properly which is a characteristic that is evident in her work in AmSTEA. Maggie is an integral part of AmSTEA because of her kindness and diligence.
Vanessa Man
Vanessa Man currently serves on the executive board with no specific role. She is responsible for creating different methods of improvement for the organization’s structure and paves the way for the organization’s success. Man often leads the meeting’s conversations and plans the topics of conversation each week along with other board members. Man is also the go to solution for any problems or issues that arise. For example, when our website designer dropped out, Man selflessly volunteered to complete and design a professional website. Outside of AmSTEA, she enjoys watching TV shows or reading books such as How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. These activities allow Man to become more understanding of people and arguments as well. Man is always willing to grow and reflect on different situations which are traits that continue to benefit the organization. Because of her ability to effectively solve problems, she is “fully trust[ed] to help us resolve a crisis,” Maggie Qi says.
Annabelle Kong
Annabelle Kong is currently the secretary of AmSTEA. She is responsible for all email correspondence and recording all meetings. During meetings, she prefers to concentrate and listen to the topic at hand instead of voicing her concerns, however, she is not afraid to speak up when an issue arises. Her quiet nature allows for her to be extremely detail oriented and “show an appreciation for small things which end up making a big difference in the end” says Maggie Qi. Her diligence and patience in notetaking has led to an increasingly more organized system and organization with effective communication capable of adapting to any situation. Outside of AmSTEA, she is extremely interested in synthesia and has already conducted research projects to better understand this largely unexplored but common phenomenon. Evidently, Kong effectively completes her tasks in an in-depth manner which allows her to successfully complete her secretary duties for the success of AmSTEA.
Evan Zhong
Evan Zhong currently acts as the research committee director where he is responsible for managing research committee members including the experiment team and student volunteers. In meetings, Zhong is comfortable voicing his inner thoughts and pitching new ideas to contribute to the progress and innovation of the organization. Within the organization, Zhong is able to “see the good in people and will always try his best to not let his team down,” Mackenzie Lee says. Because of this, Evan is able to uplift the AmSTEA team and influences others to continue to stay positive. Aside from participating in AmSTEA, Zhong is also sophomore class president, plays tennis, and eats plenty of protein for his muscles to grow. Through his different positions, he aims to influence those around him while “staying true to [him]self” and “upholding [his] ethical values.”
Amber Yeung
Amber Yeung is currently the manager of the marketing department. She is responsible for overseeing all operations that occur during the marketing department. Yeung is also an important presence in meetings where she prefers to “listen to others’ opinions before offering my own” and helps to keep the atmosphere professional. She is an extremely efficient communicator who is able to reach out to the necessary persons for information pertaining to a new post or video. She is one of the most hardworking members of AmSTEA with President Zhang noting her “diligence and professionalism”. Outside of AmSTEA, Yeung enjoys thrilling activities and has a long bucket list that she hopes to one day accomplish. Her quiet and professional atmosphere during meetings strongly contradicts Yeung’s leisure activities, showing how she is skillful at prioritizing her responsibilities and reaching a healthy balance in her life.
Jocelyn Tsai
Jocelyn Tsai is currently the manager of the editorial department. She is responsible for distributing tasks to her staff members and communicating with other board members about new projects and assignments. Editorial department currently has a huge number of new members, however, she has “take[n] the time to talk me through it and provide me with all the necessary information”, says creative writing team leader Madison Corliss. Jocelyn often aims to help others pursue their tasks and hopes to act as an aid to her team members. Outside of running AmSTEA’s editorial department, Jocelyn Tsai lives an active and adventurous life. She is currently a swim coach on her community team and an avid violin player, even making it to All-State Orchestra. The different styles and interpretations of musical works has also helped Jocelyn become more adaptable and understanding of new and different perspectives.
Mackenzie Lee
Mackenzie Lee is currently the vice manager of the editorial department in AmSTEA. She is responsible for managing staff members and helping to solve any intradepartmental issues. During the set up for the editorial department, Lee has been the main communicator with new and prospective members, helping manager Jocelyn Tsai formulate the most efficient and productive department possible. In times of crisis, Lee is often found “taking charge and working diligently towards a solution” says Madison Corliss, while Tsai commends her ability of effective communication “despite being introverted”. Outside of AmSTEA, Lee is an avid reader of historical books, particularly historical fiction, allowing Lee to gain many different perspectives and thus, help improve AmSTEA through constructive criticism. She is currently a swim coach on her community team and has swam for almost all of her life. Lee credits swimming competitively on a club team as a driving reason for her hardwork and ability to continue pushing towards an end goal or solution.
Edward Yang
Edward Yang’s current position at AmSTEA is video production manager. In this position, he oversees all operations inside the video production department and manages all of the department’s members. During team meetings, Yang thoroughly listens to everyone’s ideas and gives very valuable feedback. Zhang, the president of AmSTEA, describes Yang’s words as “magical” and states that "they give valuable information on the topic and soothe out the tension between two opposing parties.” Due to Yang’s beneficial contributions to each meeting, the AmSTEA team is often able to form ideas and solutions much quicker. Additionally, when he is not participating in AmSTEA meetings, Yang likes to play tennis which he credits for not only being a calorie burner activity, but also contributes greatly to who he is today. He describes tennis as something that “sharpens [his] life skills,” such as persistence and motivation, and how he has been able to establish many “social connections.” Many of these characteristics have contributed to the work Yang has done in order to help AmSTEA progress and reach its full potential.
Vivian Man
Vivian Man is currently the branding team leader. She is responsible for establishing the credibility of AmSTEA’s brand and actively comes up with different creative ideas. To successfully do this, Man “sets up a mindset of a learner in everyday life,” so that she can get inspired by all of the people and objects around her. Besides contributing to building AmSTEA’s brand, Man enjoys designing different works on her computer or doing escape rooms with her friends. While Man is often inspired by her environment, she also inspires the people around her. Man’s presence “gives [people] a lot of energy and warmth,” and she inspires others through her “words of encouragement,” her sister Vanessa Man and friend Annabelle Kong says.
Madison Corliss
Madison Corliss is currently AmSTEA’s creative writing leader in the editorial department. She is in charge of editing any forms of writing produced by the team, composing educational and engaging scripts for project videos, and creating supplementary articles or stories on various topics for AmSTEA. At meetings, Madison will engage herself in discussions and be heedful during the conversations. She is a strong writer with a high-powered work ethic who puts effort into everything she does until it meets her own approval. This trait greatly contributes to the early completions of valuable articles for AmSTEA. In her freetime, Madison substantially enjoys divulging herself into the worlds of “classic books, philosophy, art history, neuroscience, and cinematography” and has involved herself in multiple research opportunities to further these studies. She likes to remain in touch with nature as well and finds herself going out to surf almost every weekend.
Jennifer Huang
Jennifer Huang currently presides as the publicity team leader. She is key in increasing AmSTEA’s audience engagement through creating visually appealing graphics, meaningful posts to advertise AmSTEA’s videos and articles, and writing attention grabbing captions for each post. She brings an important aspect to meetings as she will listen attentively to the discussions, “contribute by giving unique insights, make sure everyone’s voices are heard,” and will “offer constructive criticism” at any point in time. Jennifer is an incredibly easy-going person and offers a strong dedication to the projects she cares about. Her role in this organization perfectly tailors to her wonderful future goals of “pursuing art in college and as [her] career”. Outside of AmSTEA, Jennifer shows a very inquisitive mind as she allows her beliefs to be “constantly challenged through learning new things”. In relation to her arts passion she enjoys listening to all types of music, playing the guitar, and dancing.
Eric Zhu
Eric Zhu is currently the experiment team leader. He is a part of the research department, but more specifically his job entails he will conduct different demonstrations and scientific experiments on numerous subject matters. During meetings, Eric is an active listener and greatly contributes to conversations by, “ask[ing] questions to learn more and build off of [the conversations] to make insights,” and will utilize his helpful strength of, “blend[ing] analogies to simplify the topic” to any of his fellow team members. Eric encompasses an analytical mindset, which is an important characteristic to have naturally, and in his free time will passion this through his interests of perusing the political and economic state of the world through its current and history’s past times.
Kuan Fu
Kuan Fu is currently the creative writing team leader. His responsibility is to create appealing and educational scripts for specific videos, and construct supplementary reports on various topics. His meeting presences entail actively engaging himself in all aspects of topics covered at the table and likes to take charge in his work. Outside of AmSTEA, another way for him to connect with himself and find a creative outlet for his passions is to cook, “[which] makes [him] feel very productive” and to read which allows for him to “occasionally escape into a story”. He also uniquely enjoys understanding the modern complexities of life. Such as, investigating the profound world of sociology as it ultimately provides to him a “legitimately life-changing [point of view]” and, more importantly, believes it “allows [us] to understand the world much better”.