Head of the Writing Department for Critique Magazine, Gloria Fan

Name: Gloria Fan

Year: Senior

Major: Print Journalism/ Minor: Asian Studies and English

Hometown: Houston, Texas

HC: Why did you choose your major?

Gloria: I chose Print Journalism because I wanted to write creative nonfiction pieces. Creative nonfiction was a way that I could combine journalism and creative writing together.  I knew that my past writing already made me somewhat skilled in creative writing, but I needed to learn investigation and reporting skills, effective communication and observation. With that, I chose print journalism.

HC: What do you like most about writing?

Gloria: I can use my imagination to create a different scene, a different world.  Writing has become an outlet for my mind.

HC: What clubs are you involved in?

Gloria: I am the President of Penn State Association of Journalists for Diversity, the writing department head of Critique Magazine, a mentor of the Asian American Students in Action, a diversity Ambassador Penn State College of Communications, and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association.

HC: Whoa, how do you manage?

Gloria: I keep a calendar in my mind actually.  I like to have a lot of responsibility because that’s how I manage best.  I like to do a lot at one, when I don’t have much to do, I’m not as productive.

HC: Any advice on time management?

Gloria: First, you need a calendar to train yourself, I use the huge ones for the desk, and I usually mark all the upcoming events for each month.  I also think it’s helpful to use the alerts on your phone to remind you to study ahead of time. Oh and don’t waste time.

HC: What do you do during downtime?

Gloria: Hulu, I don’t have a TV at home so I watch family shows like Modern Family or I read… and then I do my nails.  I just think it’s important to have time to yourself, do your hair, watch a sad sappy movie, and cry your eyes out haha.

HC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Gloria: I’m going to grad school so I hope I’m in my PH.D program, studying.  I aspire to be a professor someday so I definitely see my self in academia.

HC: Anything else we should know?

Gloria: I’m a spontaneous traveler.  I tend to travel with no plans, I usually travel alone actually. I traveled all around the world and would love to do that for the rest of my life.  I love how I get to learn about different values and cultures, I learn so much more about the world around me.  I encourage everyone to go out of the U.S and put themselves in odd situations, alone.  No matter how risky or dangerous it sounds, you would learn so much more about yourself.