Employee Spotlight: Jonas Chin

Jonas Chin wears Cougar Pride every day, and not always in the form of red apparel. Having served as a student, student leader, and now a current employee of the University of Houston, Chin uses all of his roles and experiences to enhance the UH experience for the next generation of Cougars.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Chin is a self-described �Cougar by choice�. As a second generation Cougar, he came to the University of Houston in the fall of 2005 for, �the opportunity to be part of the Houston Cougar tradition, experience a great city like Houston, and be in one of the top media markets�. Chin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from UH, �keeping it classy in Houston,� he quipped.

Chin has been heavily involved in the campus community since his freshman year, with his first employment at the university being as an Honors College ambassador, where he �learned the great traditions of the University of Houston and gave tours to prospective students and parents�.
He also served as Vice President of the Student Government Association, working on initiatives focused on accountability, student empowerment and affordability.

Currently, Jonas Chin works for University Services as the Constituent Relations Coordinator, �bringing students, faculty, staff and administrators to the table to discuss issues, solutions and future plans�. Being a recent graduate and having served as a key representative of the student body, Chin possesses the unique capacity to remain close to the pulse of the campus community, serving as an effective bridge between students and administrators.

When asked his favorite part of his job, Chin replied, �The opportunity to work with the awesome University Services team and other departments around campus[�] Every day, coming to work and learning something new and at the same time loving that we do our best to serve the University of Houston community.�

Chin keeps busy facilitating meetings for several University Services Committees, including Food Services Advisory, Transportation and Parking Advisory, Bookstore Advisory and Sustainability Task Force. After discussing important issues during the meetings, he works with the University Team in communicating the discussions, recommendations and decisions.

�Process is a big part of how a university operates. Not everyone always agrees with what comes from the committee, and the challenging part is to ensure that everyone understands the process,� explained Chin, regarding the more difficult aspects of his job. �[�] a great challenge and what I also love about the job is we�ve got to work towards building a consensus while taking into account the best interest of the university community as a whole.�

Often stopping to greet and help people on campus, Jonas Chin is also known for his cheerful attitude and contagious enthusiasm. He enjoys getting new Cougars excited during orientation as he informs them about UH�s departments and great traditions, and always hands out his business card so that students and parents can ask questions about the university and student life.

�I appreciate everything that all the staff, faculty, students, and administrators do for our great university. Everything that we do will have success written next to it; let�s continue to work together and always strive for excellence,� said Chin.