Contact Information

Scholar Full Name: Tan Na Chan

Posse Site: Miami
Posse School: University of Pennsylvania
Email Address: tanchan@wharton.upenn.edu
Phone Number: (786) 223-2857

Internship Information
Name of Company/Organization: Clean Air Network
Location of Internship: Hong Kong
Dates of Internship: July 2, 2014 August 14, 2014
Department: N/A
Your Position/Title: Summer Intern
Hourly Wage or Total Summer Stipend: Unpaid
Supervisor Name + Title: Sum Yin Kwong
Supervisor Email + Phone: sum@hongkongcan.org; +852 39710106

To be a Posse Scholar is not only a mark of pride, but also a source of immense opportunity and privilege.
This summer I interned at the Clean Air Network (CAN), an environmental NGO in Hong Kong with a
mission to improve local and regional air quality.

As a student of environmental management, CAN was the perfect place to cultivate my interest in
environmental advocacy. I wanted to help tackle the biggest environmental issue facing Hong Kong, my
place of birth.

My internship responsibilities included 1) helping to put on a public event with more than 300 participants;
2) drafting media articles and internal reports; and 3) publishing engagement posts on social media.

I learned that strong branding is just as essential for NGOs as it is for for-profit organizations.
Environmentalism is a tricky business, it is commonly believed, because nobody cares. But people
everywhere care about health; no doubt about that. CANs campaign is to tell the people of Hong Kong that
they are collectively facing a health crisis larger than their individual selves.

Additionally, I learned that CANs success in driving policy change in the past few yearswhat we might
call the hardware of social changeis supported by its tireless efforts to engage with different
stakeholders in the communitythe software.

As for recommendations, I would share with my future self and others interested in NGO work the
following words: the work that you do is already improving or saving lives. Dont wait for the legislation to
pass or the official press release to feel validated. Every step, every little detail, is part of a success that is
gradually unfolding.

This summer I sharpened my social media skills by working remotely as a social media manager for Penn
Online Learning. I heard of the opportunity after meeting a supporter of CAN, who runs a play
consultancy in Hong Kong. And I practiced my Cantonese everyday at work, which could benefit me
greatly if I were to return after graduation.

All in all, CAN was instrumental in raising for me the important and, as yet, unanswerable questions: how
can I best prepare for nonprofit leadership and, more importantly, what is my role in the world?