A college education at a residential campus means more than a degree earned through successful completion of coursework and class projects. Student life beyond the classroom also provides a formative experience, and that is especially true for Sherry Chen, BA’15.
Chen came to Vanderbilt following her sister, Karen Chen Broussard, MD’11, who was about to start her residency training. After spending a lot of time studying in the biomedical library with Karen, Chen chose a major in neuroscience. However, her career path took her into digital marketing in the Phoenix area, where she has served as president of the local Vanderbilt Chapter since 2018, connecting the community of Commodore alumni and parents.
“I found such passion and enjoyment in promoting and putting on events as a student,” Chen says. “I found a job opportunity working for a tech company in Scottsdale, and then I made some connections and started working for an advertising agency. I use a lot of the organizational, logistical and overall life skills I learned at Vanderbilt.”
As a student, Chen was deeply involved with the Vanderbilt Programming Board, where she conceptualized, planned and executed student events and activities, from homecoming to block parties and trivia events. She became vice president of VPB her senior year. Chen recalls working with staff adviser Dwayne Elliott to organize a Q&A-style event featuring actress Ellie Kemper.
“Dwayne reached out to say that the professor scheduled to lead the interview with Kemper had an emergency and wouldn’t be able to participate, and asked if I would be able to conduct the interview with her.
“That day, I did so much research to write interview questions and prepare for this awesome opportunity to be on stage. I spent time with Ellie in the green room before the event and developed a rapport, so our time on stage was very conversational and fun,” Chen says.
When many of Chen’s friends moved to metropolitan areas with larger alumni networks, they told her about great experiences at their local alumni Chapter events, and she reached out to the alumni office to inquire about organized events for Phoenix-area alumni. As Chapter president, she helps coordinate quarterly events and is the local contact for networking nights, watch parties, happy hours and other events to bring alumni, parents and the Commodore community together in Arizona.
“It’s a great way for me to continue staying connected, and it’s very rewarding to meet all these different people from every part of Vandy across different generations,” Chen says.
“Even though our Chapter isn’t on the scale of somewhere like New York, San Francisco or Nashville itself, we have some amazing regular attendees and have created relationships centered around our pride for our alma mater. It’s always nice to catch up with the alumni in Phoenix and reflect on how our time at Vanderbilt shaped who we are today.”
—Connie Harris
