After living in the United States for about 14 years, Lacey Chan recently received her citizenship and said that she now feels like she is really an American.
In 1995, Chan came from Hong Kong to attend SUNY Buffalo, where she received a library degree. She has been living in Queens for the last 12 years.
While in Hong Kong, Chan worked as a radio news anchor and reporter. She was studying for a bachelor’s degree in Chinese and translation and doing a lot of research, when she realized how much she liked being in the library, surround by books and helping others find what they needed.
“The satisfaction [of helping someone] is beyond description,” said Chan, who now lives in Kew Gardens Hills and is an active member of her church in Fresh Meadows.
Chan now works as the Information & Data Analysis Librarian for the New Americans Program at Queens Library. She has held the position for 11 years.
In that role, Chan explained that her main responsibility is to do demographic studies or community analysis. She looks at who is living in Queens, what their interests are and their background is, to determine what the libraries need so that they can better serve the community’s needs.
Chan said that her biggest challenge is having free public data available to use. She noted that, although there is date on a national, state and county level, Queens is very diverse and the needs from one neighborhood to the next can be very different. This is why she needs even more specific data.
Even though her work is more behind-the-scenes, Chan said that she knows what she is doing is benefiting the community. She said that she has received feedback from different coworkers about how something she found or her analysis helped them plan better or get the appropriate books or programs for the customers.
Another part of Chan’s job involves monitoring some of the library’s programming, which gives her the chance to work with different partner organizations, such as Asian Americans for Equity or the Small Business Administration.
“I like it,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see people who are so enthusiastic about helping others, especially the underserved.”
Just this past April, Chan received her U.S. citizenship.
“It’s wonderful. I’ve been counting my days to submit my application,” Chan said. “I feel like I’m really finally an American after I got my citizenship.”
Chan said that she felt it was important to become a citizen. She pointed out that she can now vote, go to jury duty and go in and out of the country without needing a reentry permit.
In celebration, Chan said she had a feast with friends. Her boss and coworkers at the New Americans Program also held a party for her.
“Working at the New Americans Program and being a new American is very special,” Chan said.
