I had the honor of being chosen as Senior Class Speaker for the Class of 2021 Commencement! (Photo by Tom Dzimian)
Hello there! My name is Bryan Chong and I’m the new Civic Engagement Fellow with the Allbritton Center for the 2021-2022 school year.
Over this year, you will find me all around Allbritton working with the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP), the Center for the Study of Public Life (CSPL), Service-Learning, the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PCSE) — and newly this year — the Sustainability Office. Some of these you may already know, and if not, make sure to check out one of those links!
I will be working in formal and ad-hoc ways to support all these centers and offices — and most importantly — help connect students, faculty, alumni, and community members together for events, opportunities, and funding! I send out the weekly Wesleyan ENGAGE newsletter (sign up here if you’re not already a subscriber, and submit content here!), and manage our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This is me in my element, probably designing a graphic!
I am born-and-raised in Hong Kong, and am starting my eighth year in Connecticut. Some of you may know me as I just graduated from Wesleyan this past May; in my four years here, I:
- Majored in Government and Psychology
- Helped found and lead Wesleyan for Bernie in 2020
- Was a member of Wesleyan Democratic Socialists, United Labor Student Action Coalition, Sunrise Movement, and the Wesleyan North End Action Team
- Was elected to the Wesleyan Student Assembly last year, where I chaired the Civic Engagement Task Force and served as vice chair of the Community Committee
- Played varsity golf and mixed gender Ultimate Frisbee (Throw Culture)
In my new capacity as a fellow, I will remain involved with these student groups that continue to do fantastic civic engagement work, and I hope to catch you and one of those meetings if not directly in Allbritton!
Outside of Wesleyan, I am involved with the Middletown Mutual Aid Collective and the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, grassroots community organizations dedicated to solidarity building work in central Connecticut. I am also an organizer with Central Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America, where I am involved in electoral work and chapter communications. In my spare time, I also design graphics for political campaigns and non-profits in the area.
You can find me at Allbritton 116 and at engage@wesleyan.edu! I’m your contact for events and opportunities related to civic engagement — and especially if you want feedback on a project you’re working on! Beyond that, don’t hesitate to drop by and talk about local politics, student organizing, and more! 🙂
As an international student, I spoke at the Capitol in defense of students like me facing deportation by the Trump administration during the summer of the pandemic! (Photo courtesy of Mark Mirko @markmirko/Hartford Courant @hartfordcourant).