PSU’s School of Social Work Dean Wong has built her career around a simple belief: Helping people is its own reward. Inside Portland State’s Ruben Gill Herrera sat down with her to hear about the path that brought her from Hong Kong to Portland, the patients who shaped her, and the advice she has for students still figuring out their own way.
Watch the video or read the full interview below to learn more.
RGH: Dean Wong, what's your favorite thing in this office?
Dean Wong: My favorite thing in this office is this painting that I got from China in Hongzhou. A few years ago, I was invited to give a talk at the university in Hongzhou. I was walking around the city and ran into this man who was painting underneath a subway station. He drew this with his foot, and I was extremely impressed. I bought it because it reminds me of human resilience, and this amazing art that he created with something that, even though he didn't have hands, he was still able to do.
RGH: What does it say?
Dean Wong: It says, "Let go," which in Buddhism is a very well known phrase, that we need to let go of human possessions and of troubles, of things that really don't help us to live a healthy life. Letting go and willingness to let go is something that I always remind myself of. So you don't get bogged down with some negativity, but try to be positive about your life. Focus on those things that give us strength and give us power, especially something that we feel that is love, not hate.
RGH: How do you start your day?
Dean Wong: I usually start my day with exercise. I like to do yoga for about 30 minutes before I get ready, have breakfast and come to the office. The great thing is, I'm in this beautiful building that has the gym right underneath. I could also go for a yoga class downstairs; they have many different classes, which is a great way to start my day.
RGH: Where's the best place to grab a bite on campus?
Dean Wong:
The best place to grab a bite on campus is, believe it or not, the dorm. We have a dorm that serves all you can eat food for $10, for staff and faculty. Maybe it’s a different price for students. There’s a salad bar and all you can eat things like pasta, pizza and dessert. My favorite item is the salad bar. You would pay a whole lot more if you go to other places that charge you per ounce. I was really amazed at the variety, the nutrition and the cost.
RGH: What's something you didn't know before coming to PSU?
Dean Wong: Something I didn't know before coming to PSU is that this is such a great university with a lot of great resources. I didn't know our office would be this nice, and in this wonderful building that wasn't built too long ago at the center of the campus it’s easy to come to and has a nice fountain downstairs. The physical environment definitely helped with my mental health. Sometimes, when I'm really busy or get really tired, I just look at the view and at other buildings and I realize that there's many people in this university with me. That I am working with them and sometimes struggling with them.
RGH: Where did you grow up?
Dean Wong: I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I came to the United States when I was 20 years old to start college. The plan was just to get a degree and go back to serve the people in Hong Kong, but then I fell in love with the United States and started a long-term career here. Ever since then, I've been living in this country and really enjoy being an American.
RGH: What is some of the best advice you have ever received?
Dean Wong: The best advice that I think I ever received was, "Don't take yourself too seriously, but take life seriously." So, do the best work that I can do, but don't draw on all the negatives and the things that I cannot control. I try not to take myself seriously and basically enjoy doing work that can really benefit other people. I think that's the essence, and that's the value of social work. How can we help other people?
RGH: If you weren't Dean of Social Work, what field would you study?
Dean Wong: Interestingly enough, if I wasn’t Dean of Social Work, I probably would study ocean biology because I really love the ocean. I love swimming. I grew up near the ocean in Hong Kong and I think I would really enjoy researching and spending a lot of time in the ocean, learning more about these other animals and also all the other life forms that the ocean has to offer. I spent a few years in Hawaii, and really had a very good time there.
RGH: Are there any of these awards that are super special to you?
Dean Wong: One of the awards that is really super amazing to me and special to me is the one that's called Everyday Hero Award. I got that award when I was an oncology social worker. At the time, I was doing clinical work at San Francisco General Hospital and I helped a lot of patients to achieve their goals when they were at the end of their life. I was getting this award because I went out of my way to help them. One of them was from China and he had maybe about a month or two to live and his main goal was to be able to go back to China. At the time he didn't have any money, so he wouldn’t be able to afford it. I was able to contact different agencies and put together a one way ticket for him to go back home before he passed. That was very fulfilling to me. Getting this award is a recognition of all the work that we can do for people who are in that sort of situation.
RGH: What's inspired your career the most in life?
Dean Wong: What inspired my career the most in life is that I can, again, help people. Right now with this career, I'm helping students, I'm helping faculty to achieve their goals and to be able to seek more resources to assist them, so that students can really benefit from our training to be able to graduate with a degree and then devote themselves to be social workers. It’s very fulfilling in this position, to be able to look for resources and advocate for resources that would help students, faculty and staff members. They're very important to our school. With anything I can do, I feel really gratified that I can help our school to achieve our goal and live up to our values.
RGH: What is one piece of advice you would give to students?
Dean Wong: One piece of advice that I would give to students would be: Don't just think about the things that you want to do, but also think about things that you don't want to do. Knowing what you don't want is also important. Think about things that would compromise your value, your life and your happiness, and don't go there. Even if there's maybe more money in that field, doing something you don't enjoy is not going to be good or easy for anyone.
Time flies when you're enjoying your work and you really feel like you're contributing. So, think about your passion, think about what you really enjoy doing, but you don’t necessarily have to do that specific thing. Just don't go where you know it's not going to make you happy.