From the president
Chea-Ler Tan is an exceptional undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Criminal Justice and Political Science & International Relations while maintaining a 4.0 GPA as an Honors Program student at Marymount University. Her international background and multicultural competency position her as a natural bridge-builder across diverse communities.
Chea-Ler's civic leadership is most prominently demonstrated through her role as President of Food For Thought, where she has transformed campus engagement with food insecurity issues. Under her leadership, the organization runs weekly sandwich-making events that produce 50 bagged lunches for PathForward, a local homeless shelter, directly addressing critical community needs. She manages volunteer events for the university garden, ensuring fresh produce reaches food-insecure students on campus, creating a sustainable cycle of community support.
Through Food For Thought, Chea-Ler has mobilized dozens of student volunteers, fostering civic responsibility and community awareness among her peers. Her approach to addressing food insecurity demonstrates practical problem-solving and sustained commitment to vulnerable populations. The organization's dual focus on external community support and internal campus needs reflects her comprehensive understanding of civic engagement.
Chea-Ler's leadership exemplifies the intersection of academic excellence and meaningful civic action, demonstrating how student leaders can create lasting impact on pressing social issues.
Personal Statement
My name is Chea-Ler Tan, and I am an undergraduate student at Marymount University, majoring in Criminal Justice and Political Science with a minor in Psychology. I am an international student from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I graduated from high school in Shanghai, China. Growing up abroad, I saw how various systems attempted to address social issues and the gaps where those systems failed to meet community needs. These experiences shaped my pursuit of civic engagement. From what started as required service hours to taking on leadership roles in three student organizations, I began to cultivate a servant’s heart in my time at Marymount. One of these clubs is Food For Thought, which aims to tackle food insecurity on campus and in the wider Arlington area. This includes managing our school garden, sharing fresh produce with students, and donating the excess to food pantries. We also host weekly sandwich-making for a local homeless shelter. I have learned that service can be as simple as a meal, and is so much more than logging hours on a form. It is about ensuring adequate access and building a community where others are invited to be a part of something that matters.