Finding the Right Path
Hand-written Bible verses on large white sheets
of paper hang on the walls in Jessica Chiang’s sparsely decorated single. Chiang ’07
has been reading a chapter of Proverbs every day during her morning Bible study and
posting verses that resonate with her. Most serve as friendly reminders to put God
first: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs
3:5).
 “It’s
really easy for me to want to do everything for myself, especially when it comes
to my family,” says Chiang, who attends a weekly Bible study in her house living
room and Sunday services at the Amherst Koinonia Church. “That verse is just
a reminder that you’re going to fail if you think you can do everything by
yourself. Just trust in God, and you don’t have to stress out.”
Chiang listens to her favorite musical group, the Hillsong
Church of Australia, before grabbing her backpack and leaving Cushing House for her
9 a.m. Chinese class.
Chiang, who’s half-Chinese and half-Korean, took
French her first year at Smith, but enrolled in Chinese this semester so that she
could learn more about her cultural roots. She attends 50 minutes of Intensive Chinese
five mornings a week and hopes to spend a year in China teaching English upon graduation. “My
parents spoke Chinese to me when we were young and they put us through Chinese school,” says
Chiang, 20. “I still can’t read and write, but I want to be able to teach
my children Chinese.”
Afterwards, Chiang has a little more than
an hour before Screen Comedy—a class that has taught her to analyze films and
appreciate humor as an art form. She prays before eating two bowls of Honey Bunches
of Oats in Hubbard House. Then she heads to the Seelye Hall computer lab to print
out articles for her Economics Seminar in Industrial Organizations and Antitrust
Policy and grade papers for her Introductory Microeconomics class, in which she serves
as a student assistant.
Chiang, who’s majoring in psychology
and economics, says she developed her interest in those fields after taking introductory
courses in high school. After performing well in Assistant Professor Benita Jackson’s
Mind/Body Medicine seminar and several other psychology courses, Chiang was asked
to serve as a teaching assistant for Jackson’s Health Psychology class and
to collaborate with her on research this semester. Once a week, Chiang meets with
Jackson and other research assistants in the basement of Bass Hall to discuss their
work. Chiang and Jackson are gathering information from the Smith community and studying
the relationship between social status and health.
“She asks interesting questions and challenges
me as well,” says Jackson, director of the Society, Psychology and Health Laboratory. “At
first, even though Jessica was shy in class, when I saw her written answers or when
I talked to her one on one, she had all kinds of ideas. It was clear to me that Jessica
was thinking really deeply about the subject, although it was hard for her to assert
herself in the beginning. But she’s overcome a lot of that.”
 Last
summer, Chiang interned for the U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland. This summer,
she will return to her home in Diamond Bar, California, to conduct research in health
psychology for a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. She also hopes to
develop her interest in real estate as a researcher for an online marketing company. “Jessica’s
a good example of a student who follows things she finds interesting and out of those
come really interesting opportunities,” Jackson says.
Although Chiang misses home, her religion is with her
wherever she goes. “It is hard sometimes because not many people share my beliefs,
but I think I’ve learned not to push my views on them,” Chiang says. “I
try not to offend them or have them offend me. I think it works out.”
After classes, Chiang returns home, eats dinner, showers,
studies and chats online. Before retiring to bed at 1 a.m., she glances at the verses
on her bedroom walls and knows she’s on her chosen path.
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