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Alumni

Christopher Chew


Class of: 2018
Hometown: Lake Mary, FL
School: College of Arts and Science
Major(s): Neuroscience

Chris developed a love for service through his local church in Orlando, Florida. Through his youth group, he learned the values of caring for those in need and loving others as himself. It was through these lessons that Chris became interested in building relationships with others and seeking to understand the needs of underserved communities. Being actively involved in YoungLife Capernaum, he became passionate about caring for children with special needs.

Since entering the Ingram Scholarship Program, he has continued to interact with the special needs community through the multitude of organizations that Vanderbilt holds. Primarily, a bulk of the service that Chris has become involved in is with Next Steps at Vanderbilt. Next Steps is a post-secondary transition program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each week he mentors and tutors the students in their classes, independent living skills, and on various methods to live healthy lifestyles. During the summers, Chris has helped coordinate and direct the Next Steps Summer Institute, a week-long residential camp, as well as plan for the program’s future expansion to a four-year residential program.

Chris has also shown interest in international service work through multiple service trips to Latin America. During his freshman and sophomore year, Chris travelled to Honduras and Nicaragua with Global Medical Brigades to provide healthcare to rural underserved communities. This past summer, Chris completed a six-week internship in Monte Plata, Dominican Republic with Kids Alive International. There he served in an orphanage teaching, mentoring, and building relationships with the children.

As Chris enters his senior year, he will be applying to medical school with hopes of attending post graduation. He believes that his time in the Ingram Scholarship Program has prepared him well to partner with future patients and serve them to the best of his abilities. He hopes to serve the special needs community in an even greater capacity with the new found knowledge he will gain in medical school.

Chris is extremely blessed to be part of the Ingram Scholarship Program. He will continue to devote time in service to his church and his community. Chris is thrilled to be attending Vanderbilt University and cannot wait to continue to invest his time into the many service projects in Nashville. He hopes to combine his interest in medicine and love for serving others into his volunteer programs in order to make a difference in his community.