30 seconds with an alum: Farm life to tech life

At UW Bothell, Dan Chang, Business Administration ‘09 and MS Computer Science & Engineering ‘12 was shaped by collaborative group projects, memorable classes, and informative research. Since then, Dan has worked in the gaming industry and later found joy as a Zumba instructor. He is still involved on campus, as a regular runner at UW Bothell’s annual 5K.

Where do you consider your hometown to be?

I tell people I’m a Midwest farm boy from Columbus, Ohio.

What was your first ever job?

I was helping a professor at Ohio State University who ran a summer camp for autistic kids.

When did you start running in UW Bothell Husky 5K?

I ran the very first one. I remember the first couple of years they were put on as part of a project management class. I pulled my records and from what I can tell, I’ve run 15 of them at this point!

On the 5K’s (in)famous hill (#IYKYK)

Over the years I’ve developed, you know. Initially, it was a dread for that hill. But after a point, I’m like, “I know how big the hill is. I’ve done the hill so many times. It’s a known amount of pain.” So I kind of look forward to that little hill now.

Are you serious about running, and do you do other races?

No. Man wasn’t meant to run more than 5K. One time when I ran an 8K, I got by the 5K mark and wondered why I was still running.