Jephanie Chen: a life on the road less traveled

At a young age, SMIC-I alumna Jephanie Chen has already become what we commonly consider a role model. Not only has she honed her athletic talent at a globally recognized level in the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup, her life outside of the World Cup isn’t any less interesting.

In fact, it’s far from it.

As of 2017, Jephanie has been to 31 countries around the world, everywhere from Belgium to Peru. Her trips are not limited to simply sight-seeing and finding photo-ops — for her, new and exciting adventures are waiting at every destination, and she will always has something new to learn and challenge herself by.

“…because I am a competitive person, I want to be the best I can in whatever I do, so once I started travel, I want to go to every country in the world,”  Jephanie said.

Whether it’s horse-riding in the mountains of Tucson, snowboarding under the blue sky in on Mountain Lemmon, boxing with her twin at the Aztlan Boxing Gym, or even struggling to pose for a photo with a snake at Gatorland in Florida (see featured image), Jephanie’s adventures are much more than just leisure. They are a form of experimentation and learning that comes along with the fun.

Jephanie recounts her favorite memory during her time abroad — an unexpected, unforgettable acquaintance with some locals in Finland. Taking off from Norway, Jephanie wanted to go South to Finland, but did not have access to transportation where she was. After being nicely helped by a grocery store manager, she was warmly welcomed by a family to travel south with them and join them for dinner.

Although reluctant and a bit worried at first, Jephanie soon felt welcome within the family. Before dinner, she was invited to try out snowboarding in the nearby mountains with Vesa, the oldest son in the family. “Even he had a hard time speaking English, he tried to talk to me during the trip and tried to explain the geography and ecosystem in the area,” reminisced Jephanie.

The kindness she received was overflowing. “After dinner, the mom was looking for small things for me to take as souvenir to take home. On the four hours ride to Rovaniemi, the mom tried her best to spot northern lights for me because I told her that was the purpose of this Scandinavia trip.” The warmth of the Finnish locals had contributed much to her memory of the country.

To those of us who do not live a similar lifestyle, Jephanie’s experiences might seem out of reach; however, to Jephanie, they are valuable moments that remind her to continue on her journey. Setting a high bar for future graduates, Jephanie Chen gives some advice to current students:

“There might be many of you out there don’t know where you want to be in 10 years, don’t know what majors to choose for college, don’t know what career to pursue, don’t know what hobbies you really like. Don’t be afraid to try them, because many people find their passion after hundreds of attempts… Always think through everything, know the alternatives and cost, then take the step forward with courage.”

Jephanie Chen’s life of adventure is not only admirable and inspiring, but more importantly, she models the life of someone who is actually being a “global citizen” by portraying the opportunities that are available to us — all we have to do is take hold of them.

Photos courtesy of Jephanie Chen