Hua Chen

Today, Hua Chen lives with his wife and daughter in a quiet Peterborough neighbourhood they now consider home.

Originally from Beijing, China, Hua first came to Canada in 2002 on a study permit as an International Student. He attended the University of Windsor where he graduated with a major in computer science in 2005. Soon after, Hua’s wife was accepted to a Ph.D program at Trent University. Consequently, Hua was accepted into Trent’s Applications of Modeling (AMINSS) program. So in 2005, the Chen family moved to Peterborough.

At first, Hua relied heavily on University friends and his program supervisor to direct him to resources about employment, housing and other essential services. Still struggling with his English, Hua attended group study sessions, and even had to ask his supervisor questions in Chinese for additional assistance.

After the initial difficulties of establishing himself in Peterborough, Hua’s Trent University experience became a complete success. While contributing to the further development of the AMINSS departmental website, Hua was also a Teaching Assistant for several Computer Science courses. Hua's supervisor remembers, “Hua always worked really hard and his thesis resulted in four publications, which is the most any of my graduate students have had.”

In 2008, after he graduated from Trent University and his Citizenship application was approved, Hua began to look for employment in Peterborough. In a conversation with a professor in the AMINSS program, Hua heard about a job opening at Tekdesk, a local IT company located in the Peterborough Public Library. Hua applied and was hired by Tekdesk in 2009. Tekdesk Manager, Adrianne Schutt, describes Hua:

“Hua is the perfect team member - driven, fearless, and always thinking about how to help his coworkers. We've come to realize that his trademark "I will think about it" answer really means "it hasn't been done before, but you'll have it in 3 days." He is always willing to share, and is happy to answer our questions about Chinese culture. With his dedication, strong technical background and quiet determination, Hua adds both flavour and substance to our team.”

At Tekdesk Hua, began working on a number of web-based community projects. Becky Rogers, the CEO of the Peterborough Public Library, said,

“Hua is a pleasure to work with, he makes what he does look easy. When asked if he can reprogram an entire section of a web site, Hua will think for a bit, and then say "Sure, no problem, it will take three days.” He always gets the job done and tells you he is having fun. But, there is another side to Hua - his family. If you ask him about his daughter and her dance class, or if she enjoyed that all too gooey Canadian treat - the peanut butter cluster - he gets an enormous smile on his face and assures you she loved it.”

To Hua, Peterborough is a welcoming and beautiful city. If you are looking to continue your studies, Hua recommends Trent University. “Trent is small but good because the professors are very nice. They know the students and their needs, and are willing to talk to, and help anyone.” In the years to come, Hua hopes to see many more people like him establish themselves in Peterborough.