Let's Connect with Stephen Eng

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the MOST AMAZING community on LinkedIn.?

It is a place where people connect freely, support each other, engage in posts of their new connections, help them build their profiles, find jobs, do virtual coffee chats, and create a community.?

Founded by the fantastic Victoria Tokarz, #SocialSaturday is now a force on LinkedIn. Through this community, I have met some incredible humans who deserve to be seen! Our lives would all be better by knowing a bit about them.?

As a writer, I am starting my humans of LinkedIn project. Each Friday I highlight another up-and-coming professional whom I 've connected with.?

I am having a blast meeting these talented people. I hope you do too!

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For my second feature, I present Stephen Eng. He's one of the founding members of Social Saturday.

You know those rare people you meet that just make you feel awesome about yourself? They immediately get you talking and sharing about who you are and are genuinely interested in you.?

Stephen is one of those people. His warmth, genuineness, and authenticity shine through. You feel like you are talking to a friend you’ve had for 20 years. He makes you feel comfortable and chatting with him is easy and fun.?

I first noticed Stephen when he posted an amazing picture of Vietnamese Iced Coffee (my favorite) and he mentioned the rarely done ice cube trick - where you make the ice cubes with coffee, so you never get the watered-down drink. I immediately knew we had to connect!?

Since then I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with him (and his coffee) on LinkedIn. We had an amazing chat and discussed how we network. He is all about connecting authentically with people. I had to laugh when he said, "I don't like to connect people like Pokemon cards."

I am so excited to feature him here! So without further ado...

Who are you??

My defining traits: Curiosity, Empathy, Patience, Diversity, Adaptability, Determination

?I'm a first-generation Chinese-American. I was born in Queens but I grew up in a diverse neighborhood in the suburbs of Long Island. I am 100% Chinese, but multiculturalism plays a major role in my life.?

?I love making friends from different backgrounds.? My Dad grew up and studied in Hong Kong and lived in England before coming to NY;? My Mom was born and raised in 'El Barrio Chino' (Chinatown) in Lima.? Her family owned a bodega.?

When I was a student, I found it intimidating to decide what career I wanted to pursue.? I studied linguistics, weighing several options at the time -- ESL/teaching/academia, speech-language pathology (SLP), etc.??

I’ve always had a knack for helping people so after college, I went for my Master's in Communication Sciences & Disorders. Then I found a job as a school-based SLP in Delaware.? I worked mainly with children on the Autism Spectrum (low-functioning, nonverbal, lots of behavioral challenges), but I was quickly burned out.?

?I had no work-life balance and I needed to pivot. In January 2018, I moved back to New York to figure out my next steps. Healthcare made the most sense.

Later that year, I took a couple of temp positions at a health insurance company that ALMOST turned into permanent roles, but they were rescinded due to restructuring and budgetary constraints. I used those experiences to land a full-time role with another insurance company, where I’ve been working since.??

While in school I worked for the library and when I returned to NY for work I was rehired by the library. I now work there part-time in addition to my full-time job. At the library, I have been able to start projects related to raising awareness of Asian culture.

I’m not a job seeker at the moment, but I do like to upskill to keep myself fresh. I’m currently taking Google’s Data Analytics Certification program. I love working with data and storytelling, so I’m looking to make that part of my future as I plot my next steps.

Other fun facts:

• I was born without wisdom teeth.
• I’m a NY Rangers and Yankees fan.
• All pets I ever owned were aquatic animals. I’ve never owned a 4-legged mammal.
• I’ve worked with both children and adults with autism.
• I’m an adventurous eater.? Weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten: Hákarl (fermented shark).
• I love to travel.? I’ll be going to Chicago in July!?
• I love wearing blazers whenever I have the opportunity.??

Top accomplishments??(If you are skimming this article - stop and read this! It is amazing what Stephen has done!)

One of the things that I’m most proud of, at the library, is raising awareness of the need for children’s books featuring Asian characters and books written in Asian languages (in particular, traditional Chinese characters).? Over 1/3 of our clientele is of Asian heritage, and most of our staff is non-Asian, so I’ve helped to fill in the gaps along the way.

?I’ve advised our librarians extensively on Chinese cultural traditions and holidays to assist them as they ordered new books.? To date, one of the biggest highlights is that they purchased an entire picture book series written in traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Last week, my coworker advised that we found a new vendor from which we will order more books - in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.

I recently connected with Michele Fujii on Linkedin, who lives in Japan. This week, we established a collaborative bookshelf on Goodreads featuring diverse titles for children — picture and chapter books — to share with her connections in Japan. I found some titles from my library to get us started and our goal is to introduce books with themes of diversity and multiculturalism to the Japanese parenting community.?

Why are you on LinkedIn??

I’m on Linkedin to network and build meaningful relationships.? I’ve had my account for over 10 years, but since Social Saturday took off, I’ve been much more active on it.? What I’ve discovered is that having a wonderful community is an indispensable game-changing resource for any stage of your career.?

Favorite quote??

“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.”? — Anthony Bourdain

Most transformation book??

Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng?

I read this for a summer reading assignment prior to 9th grade.? Aside from learning about the political upheaval that took place in China in the 60s and 70s, this book taught me so much about resilience, survival, and maintaining hope when the odds are stacked against you. A must-read if you want something moving, and gripping, but inspirational.

Favorite person/guru you follow and why??

Tamara Beckford MD. We’re connected on Linkedin She’s an emergency medicine physician. I LOVE her podcast because she sparks so much rich conversation with her guests each week (also doctors).? She’s down-to-earth, her energy is contagious, and she shows the ‘human side’ to healthcare providers when they’re not in the office treating patients.? There’s always practical advice or life lessons to be gained from each episode!??

Advice you would give someone starting out on LinkedIn or in networking?

Do Linkedin your way.? Be yourself, know your ‘WHY’ and connect with people who align well with your values and goals.? Do you “vibe” with them?? Take note of the tone of the conversation when you communicate with them.? Is there synergy?? Make sure you get to know them.? Comment on their posts, DM them, offer support, and set up coffee chats if possible!?

How can we help support you on LinkedIn??

• Engage my posts! Don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel about them!
• If my story is helpful, I encourage you to comment and/or reach out to me directly!? I’m a giver so I love knowing if my ideas made a difference with people. If I’ve changed one person’s day for the better, then I’ve done my job!
• Please converse and connect with anyone on this post. I enjoy bringing people together and there are so many incredible people I’ve met here and have yet to meet!? I believe we can build true friendships on this platform.
• Please hit the notification bell ?? on my page to stay up to date on all of my content!?

Anything else you want to say?

Any networking I do on Linkedin is never transactional.? I’m not looking to sell or “gain” anything from anyone.? I want to understand your story, your goals, and how you got to where you are.?

I narrate some of my posts like storybooks because I want people to be able to feel like they’re part of my story.? I don’t like to preach to people.? My posts are not filtered highlight reels of accomplishments. I do my best to capture the full range of the emotional bandwidth - my highs, lows, and moments in between.?