A child of immigrants, Jennifer Phan navigated the world as a Vietnamese American and overcame the barriers of learning English as a second language. Determined to go to college, she received a scholarship from The Smittcamp Family Honors College to attend California State University, Fresno​​​.

Jennifer maintains a 4.0 GPA while working toward a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a minor in mathematics. She received funding to conduct research at Fresno State on natural medicinal projects to fight cancer and has received numerous awards and scholarships for her studies. ​​​

​​​Jennifer is a scholar in service through the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning and an academic research associate for UCSF Fresno Medical Center. She volunteers with the Community Revitalization Program, at a medical outreach program and a mobile clinic serving underprivileged Central Valley residents.

​​​Following graduation, she plans to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. to become a physician-scientist and serve her community on a larger scale.​