Chloe Lee (Biology 2017)

Since leaving Imperial, alumna Chloe has been volunteering with Imperial College Alumni Association Malaysia (ICAAM), helping to develop the Association's future strategic plans and welcoming new members to their local alumni network. Outside of her commitment to ICAAM, Chloe is a Tianxia Research Mentorship Fellow and an Effective Altruism Long-Term Future Fund Grantee.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you’ve been doing in this volunteer role?
As the Secretary for Imperial College Alumni Association Malaysia (ICAAM), I help shape the Association’s long-term vision and strategy. Together with the committee members, we think about the value the association wants to generate for the Malaysian community (e.g., providing a platform for idea sharing, organising speaker events for lifelong learning, etc.). I am also responsible for new member registration and onboarding, event planning and social media strategy.

How did you reconnect with Imperial?
I contacted ICAAM through their Facebook group and met a committee member back in the capital of Malaysia. I expressed my interest in joining the community. The rest is history, haha!

What do you get out of your volunteering?
I think the best gift is the alumni connections. Being actively involved in member onboarding and event planning means I have the chance to meet community members in person. Some of them are my mentors and friends, whom I will treasure forever.

How would you describe the Imperial community?
The Imperial community is diverse and full of surprises - in a good way. The community consists of members of all imaginable and unthinkable professions! You may meet a biologist graduate that became a TV series producer or an engineering graduate that is now the managing director of a local conglomerate in his early thirties. It helps you see that everything is possible if you put your heart and soul into it.

What is your standout moment from volunteering with Imperial?
My standout moment was the annual dinner in 2018, where I managed the end-to-end logistics planning, including venue booking, decorations, event registration and payment, emcee coordination, etc. I found a great sense of achievement because the attendees gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event.