Hsun-Yu (Sharon) Chuang, PhD, assistant professor of English and communication at COTC, was just an inquisitive Taiwanese 12-year-old when she got caught up in the perfect storm.

One summer, a typhoon knocked out her whole neighborhood’s power. Families filled the streets to escape stuffy homes. That’s when she met an American man married to one of her neighbors. He was new to the village, and he was there to teach its children something new.

He told Chuang his plans to host “English conversation classes” at his home, where he would teach willing children English earlier than their schools would. And from his earliest days, he had a star pupil. “It was a wonderful opportunity,” Chuang, one of his first and finest students, said. “I had such a great time learning from him, and I wanted to be an English teacher just like him. I thought I could help future students appreciate the beauty of language.”

She eventually graduated from a teacher’s college in Taiwan with a degree in English education. Just as she planned to launch her longtime career plans, unforeseen circumstances rained on her parade. Years of low birth rates affected elementary enrollment numbers. With fewer students, Taiwan needed fewer teachers. Each city mandated exams that determined which ones to take. “Thousands of pre-service teachers fought for less than 100 vacancies,” Chuang recalled, “so it was less than a 1% chance to get one spot.”

The odds were not in her favor. She wasn’t selected, instead forced to put her goals on hold.

Weathering the Storm

Chuang changed her course slightly as a result. She visited a grad school study abroad fair, open to possibilities but mostly hoping to keep her oral English skills sharp. Sharp as she was, though, someone took notice. A school in southern Illinois gushed over her great grades and offered her a scholarship. She accepted, intending to complete her master’s program there “and then go back home to teach English.”

What started as a placeholder became permanent. In fact, she was presented that ideal scenario and turned it down. During her first trip back to Taiwan — shortly after earning her master’s — she took the teacher’s exam again and passed. But she passed on the opportunity to teach English back home, she said, “because my career aspiration changed.”

Chuang had become captivated by the dynamics of higher education, replacing her prior passion for teaching youth. A new passion for research — her “journey to the unknown” — also played a large part.

She has now been situated in the States for almost 20 years. Her first year at COTC — where she is the only full-time communication faculty member — was easily her busiest. She instructs six classes per semester and is working with college deans to potentially create new course offerings.

Journeying to the Unknown

Despite her new workload, Chuang has chugged right along with her research. Her specialty is intercultural communication, a natural byproduct of her background. She focuses primarily on identity management politics, cultural adaptation, education, language and immigrant experiences. The topic of motherhood has also seeped into her most recent research developments.

In April, the mother of two rained down knowledge at the Central States Communication Association’s annual conference. Chaung appeared on three different panels during the three-day event. Alongside fellow scholars, she examined how to communicate about maternal-child health, how to navigate the paradox of grief and how to expand the understanding of first-generation students’ experiences in higher education.

Taking Deeper Roots

Her own experiences in higher education have given her a higher purpose; COTC has been the perfect place to pursue it. Never has she served students more — and served students with a wider variety of life experiences — than in her short time at COTC. “They really want this education to do something better for themselves and their family. They don’t take it for granted,” she said. “It’s very fulfilling to be a part of. It feels like I’m making more of a difference to the students’ futures.”

The storms have made Chuang take deeper roots — ones that first took hold in Taiwan. Yet she is far removed from that transformational typhoon season of her youth, when lightning strikes led her to strike up a life-changing conversation. Since then, she has been weathered by setbacks and swayed by discovery of new passions. She has started a family and a fulfilling career. She has become an expert researcher and an exceptional resource for her students.

Just one year into her role at COTC, the roots she has established are already strong, and they’re getting even deeper. “I feel like I’m truly becoming a part of the community,” she said, “and I’m deeply appreciative of the opportunities to grow along the way.”