{"id":234483,"date":"2026-05-18T12:58:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=234483"},"modified":"2026-05-20T08:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T18:49:20","slug":"mercy-cheng-learning-to-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/18\/mercy-cheng-learning-to-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning to lead, learning to belong at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"person
Chia Yun “Mercy” Cheng<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> graduating senior Chia Yun “Mercy” Cheng first arrived in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> from Taiwan, she carried uncertainty alongside her ambition. Now graduating with a degree in marketing from the Shidler College of Business<\/a>, Cheng said her experience at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> transformed not only her education, but also her confidence.<\/p>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

“UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> made me feel like it was home,” Cheng said. “It really shaped me into a more extroverted person.”<\/p>\n

Today, Cheng said she can confidently introduce herself to new people and step into leadership roles—something she never imagined before coming to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“I remember in the beginning, I was very timid to do small talk, even shake people\u2019s hand, talk to people and look at their eyes,” she said. “But now, when I meet someone new, I can confidently go up to them, shake their hands and introduce myself.”<\/p>\n

Taiwan to Mānoa<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Pingtung, a small city in southeastern Taiwan, Cheng moved away from home at age 15 to attend a five-year junior college program in nearby Kaohsiung. The program combined high school and community college studies. Before attending UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>, Cheng said school often felt isolating.<\/p>\n

“Because I never really liked school before I came to UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>—it could have been the education system in Taiwan, but it could also have been me—I felt like I could never fit in,” she said.<\/p>\n

Finding her place in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/h2>\n

Her connection to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> began during an internship at an Oʻahu<\/span> auto dealership when she was 19. It was her first time traveling alone and visiting the U.S.<\/p>\n

“Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> really healed me in a lot of different ways,” Cheng said. “It\u2019s the people here. It\u2019s the culture, the weather and everything. And I really found peace here.”<\/p>\n

Meet more amazing UH<\/abbr> graduates<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

After returning to Taiwan, Cheng made the decision to continue her education at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>. At first, she approached college with a narrow focus on academics.<\/p>\n

“When I first came here, my freshman year, all I knew was to study because I was raised to get a good grade, be on top of the class,” she said. “So I didn\u2019t know how to really do the work-life balance thing.”<\/p>\n

Stepping outside her comfort zone<\/h2>\n
\"group
Mercy Cheng served as the COO<\/abbr> of International Business Organization. This photo was taken at Professional Interaction Night, an event she organized, which brought 40 professionals from companies such as Google, Microsoft and various local banks to network with members.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That began to change when she became a New Rainbow Warrior peer leader, helping incoming students transition to college life.<\/p>\n

“I remember at that time I was like, ‘Oh, I feel like I\u2019m so introverted, I don\u2019t even know how to talk to people,’” she said. “‘Can I actually lead freshmen and then help them get used to life on campus?’”<\/p>\n

But she took the opportunity\u2014and said it reshaped her experience at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“Being a peer leader really gave me a sense of community,” Cheng said. “The other peer leaders were really nice. I still stay in touch with them till this day.”<\/p>\n

Cheng also became involved with the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a> (PACE<\/abbr>), serving as a PACE<\/abbr> Leader<\/a> for the Entrepreneurship Live program and later becoming its student director. What began as a search for scholarship opportunities turned into a broader experience in leadership and community.<\/p>\n

“I applied thinking that, ‘OK, I want this scholarship,’” she said. “And then I realized that the program is not just about scholarship, it\u2019s also about the community and the people there.”<\/p>\n

A new sense of confidence<\/h2>\n

Now preparing to graduate, Cheng plans to remain in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> while pursuing a career in marketing. She is currently interviewing for positions and continuing her work as a marketing assistant with Sodexo.<\/p>\n

Looking back, Cheng said UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> became more than a place of study—it became a place where she learned confidence and belonging.<\/p>\n

“I wouldn\u2019t be able to achieve everything I have today without UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>,” she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mercy Cheng said her experience at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> transformed not only her education, but also her confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":234484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[498,234,734,1466,774,425,146,9,1450],"class_list":["post-234483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-business","tag-commencement","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-marketing","tag-pacific-asian-center-for-entrepreneurship","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-manoa","tag-undergraduate","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t