Cathie Chen

NHS ’16
Age: 19
Hometown: East Brunswick, N.J.
Major: International Health (pre-med)
Minor: Cognitive Science

What do you like most about Georgetown?
What I like most about Georgetown is the environment. I just came from talking to an incoming freshman about whether or not she wants to come to Georgetown and she was wondering why I came, and one of the main reasons was because Georgetown felt like more of a home and an intimate environment, as opposed to some other universities with more students. Another reason is that I really like that Georgetown has focus because as a Jesuit university, the mantra of “men and women for others” is present in my classes.

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
Yes, I feel like I have my own circle of friends. I have friends from my freshman year, I have friends in my major, in the NHS, ones from other schools and ones that I study with. 

What are your extracurriculars?
I am involved in a few organizations, but the first I joined was GUMSHOE, Georgetown University Math and Science Hands On Enrichment. What this group does is go out Monday through Saturday and teach at underprivileged D.C. schools. For example, freshman year, I tutored at Woodson High School for the entire year and I tutored with this kid and we got really close from tutoring every week. I’m also really involved in UNA Georgetown, where I’m the undersecretary general of education, and it involves me doing a lot of research on topics I’m not familiar with, which is a lot more enjoyable than you’d think, except maybe not sometimes. I’m also a Peer Advisor for the NHS. I just love talking about my major and how awesome it is.

What are your plans for after Georgetown? Does this question annoy you?
That is a really good question, which I don’t exactly know how to answer. Most likely, medical school, but at this point consulting might also be a thing. Only time will tell. 

What’s your greatest fear?
Bugs. I hate spiders and creepy crawlies.

What do you do for “me time”?
I alternate between napping and watching TV shows on my laptop in my bed.

What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Georgetown and why?
That’s a good question. I guess my favorite was my Humanities and Writing II class, which was actually an art history class, and that was kind of unexpected because it was freshman year first semester when everyone was taking “Problem of God,” and I couldn’t actually fit it in my schedule and I ended up taking this class. The professor was very knowledgeable about the subject, and he took us to a bunch of museums, which were interesting and helped us break the Georgetown bubble.

What would you change about Georgetown?
The weather. And also Leo’s.

Interview by Griffin Greco