Mingjung Chen – CLTAC 2025 Teacher of the Year
Mingjung Chen initiated the Mandarin program at Menlo School in Atherton, California, in
2006. Since then, she has taught all levels of Mandarin and has led numerous student trips to
China and Taiwan, providing students with valuable opportunities to deepen their language skills
and cultural understanding.
Before beginning her teaching career in the United States, Ms. Chen earned a degree in Radio
and Television Broadcasting from World Journalism College in Taipei. She worked in media
production, directing, editing, and performing in on-air programs before moving to the United
States in 1989. She later received a BA in English from San Francisco State University, where
she also taught Mandarin as a teaching assistant while pursuing graduate studies.
Prior to joining Menlo School, Ms. Chen taught K–16 Chinese at a variety of public and private
schools throughout the Bay Area. In addition to her teaching work, she has been actively
involved in professional service. She currently serves as Vice President and Chair of the Speech
Contest Committee for the Chinese Language Teachers Association of California (CLTAC). In
this role, she successfully organized the 49th CLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest, hosted
at Menlo School in 2025.
Ms. Chen believes that Mandarin instruction provides students with a powerful medium of
communication that bridges Chinese- and English-speaking communities while enriching
Menlo’s multicultural environment. Her goal is for students to develop the linguistic and cultural
proficiency needed to explore, describe, and question the world around them, and to express their
curiosity and creativity on topics related to diverse cultures.
Mingjung Chen initiated the Mandarin program at Menlo School in Atherton, California, in
2006. Since then, she has taught all levels of Mandarin and has led numerous student trips to
China and Taiwan, providing students with valuable opportunities to deepen their language skills
and cultural understanding.
Before beginning her teaching career in the United States, Ms. Chen earned a degree in Radio
and Television Broadcasting from World Journalism College in Taipei. She worked in media
production, directing, editing, and performing in on-air programs before moving to the United
States in 1989. She later received a BA in English from San Francisco State University, where
she also taught Mandarin as a teaching assistant while pursuing graduate studies.
Prior to joining Menlo School, Ms. Chen taught K–16 Chinese at a variety of public and private
schools throughout the Bay Area. In addition to her teaching work, she has been actively
involved in professional service. She currently serves as Vice President and Chair of the Speech
Contest Committee for the Chinese Language Teachers Association of California (CLTAC). In
this role, she successfully organized the 49th CLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest, hosted
at Menlo School in 2025.
Ms. Chen believes that Mandarin instruction provides students with a powerful medium of
communication that bridges Chinese- and English-speaking communities while enriching
Menlo’s multicultural environment. Her goal is for students to develop the linguistic and cultural
proficiency needed to explore, describe, and question the world around them, and to express their
curiosity and creativity on topics related to diverse cultures.