ARLYNE CHIN

Our next profile is Arlyne Chin (mother of Jackson, Class of 2022 and Col Chin, Class of 2023), a very familiar face at Whitney Young.

When did you join the Whitney Young community?
When my oldest son was in 8th grade and he learned that he was admitted to Whitney Young HS, I went to a meeting to see how Friends of Whitney Young operated. The reason I did so as soon as he was accepted was that I was very involved in the Friends of (fundraising) and PTA (community) organizations at my sons’ elementary school and I wanted to understand how the parent organizations at Whitney Young worked. I was looking to extend my involvement in the school organizations at the high school level.

In what ways have you been involved with Friends of Whitney Young? 
My first year, I became a Board member of FoWY, then I served as VP my second year, and now I’ve been President of FoWY for three years, including this year. It is a lot of work, but I feel very lucky to be involved and helping to make a difference.

When you’re not at Whitney Young what do you do?
I am a Senior Program Manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the Office of the CTO. My job is to program manage innovation projects in the technology space - in other words, to bring ideas to life. Just as you would see concept cars at an auto show, the products I work on are the “concept cars” in the technology space. This job requires me to be organized and have a very open mind when it comes to products and ideas. I’ve worked in the technology field for 28 years.

As a working mom, how do you balance your time?
Because I am a program manager, I am used to bucketing and prioritizing my time.  It’s important to me that I prioritize time across all different facets of my life. I don’t sleep a lot, and it might be trite to say that I’m a really good multitasker. I always try to keep accountable, so that all of the things on my checklist get done.  It has to happen across all aspects of my life. I make mini project plans which allow me to touch base across the board. 

But you always have to give yourself a little bit of grace. Everybody is busy. Do your best to check in and make sure checklists are done, but give time to step back and be okay with a reshift of the framework. But I do have to say that, for me, none of this would happen without the support of my husband, Ken. If we didn’t have a partnership to plug the holes where needed in our home life, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. 

To you, what’s the most rewarding thing about getting involved?
I am super passionate about assisting public education. Unfortunately, in the realm of public education, we don’t have the luxury of having all we need, because we don’t have the budget for it. But really, what is most rewarding for me is getting involved in the communities that are important to my kids - so for me that would be the running community and the guitar program. I know the coaches and teachers want to coach and teach, and as much as they want to do more, they don’t have the capacity.  So, if it’s in my skill set, and I have the capacity and the time, I give it. That way the coaches and teachers can focus on what they’re passionate about.

What advice would you give other parents who are trying to get involved at Whitney Young?
Step up to lend a hand where your skill set allows you to fill a gap.  Reach out to the coaches/team/sponsors of organizations that your kids are involved in. Volunteer at an event, lead communications for a team or other group, assist with technology. When there’s a call out for fundraising, help when you can. Every little bit makes a huge difference. Any effort shows you care about what’s important to your kids and shows that you want to be a part of the community.

There are different levels of volunteerism, and nobody’s volunteer time is more important than anybody else’s. Most important is getting involved and giving as little or as much as you are able to. By asking “what can I do?” at any level, for even a club or team, you are making a difference to others. When we all work as a team, that’s when Whitney Young works at its best.

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Previous Spotlights

JASON EASTERLY

Hailey Love

Bruce Wilson