Josephine Forman Scholarship: Jeannie Chen

Jeannie Chen is the 2017 recipient of the Josephine Forman Scholarship sponsored by the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church, in cooperation with the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The $10,000 scholarship, established in 2010, provides financial support to minority students pursuing graduate education in archival science, encourages students to pursue careers as archivists, and promotes the diversification of the American archives profession.

Chen, who is pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been a committed volunteer at the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC), where she has developed projects to process, preserve, and provide access to archival collections. She has also helped to establish a working Archives Committee to provide CHSSC with a professional support network, basic archival training, and assistance in sustainably stewarding its collections. Her passion for the archival profession is fueled by the desire for members of historically marginalized communities to see themselves reflected in the archives and for greater engagement among international and cross-cultural colleagues.

Noting Chen’s diligence in both her academic and volunteer work, one supporter wrote that Chen is “the kind of enthusiastic and dedicated student we, as teachers, love to have in the classroom” and “one of those rare students that I know . . . will change the field for the better.”