Staff Spotlight: Audrey Wu, Administrative Assistant and Receptionist

 

Share a brief bio with us. I am a recent graduate of Poly. I graduated in 2020 from Loyola Marymount University, which feels like it was five years ago, but it was actually only a year. I came to Poly in sixth grade and was here this past spring semester as a Hixon intern working with Katie Ward. She was my history teacher in sixth grade and my advisor. I majored in Asian Pacific studies and minored in Chinese. My thesis was about the rise of representation of Asian Americans in the media. I analyzed the success of Crazy Rich Asians and how it impacted the community. I also tied in the COVID-19 pandemic, and Trump’s rhetoric and how it negatively impacted the Asian community.

 

With the pandemic, I was very at a loss at what I wanted to do in terms of my career and next step, but I knew I enjoyed working with people and creating a connection with them. I went to PCC and took business and teaching as a profession classes, which led me to the Hixon internship. In addition to being a Hixon intern, I also helped the Health Office when they were hosting the vaccine clinic. Keith ultimately reached out to me about my current position. What drew me to it was that he wanted the role to grow into something else and for me that was a really great opportunity to be able to help with different projects and get a taste of different fields. Being an alumna of Poly and now being a staff member, it has given my experience at Poly a whole new meaning and appreciation.  

 

What do you do at Poly? My role here is as the administrative assistant and receptionist, which includes answering the phone, directing people to the right department, and with the school year starting I am hoping to be more on the admin side. I am open to any type of project. I was talking to Laura Fleming as she is doing a sustainability project, and that is something I have always had a huge interest in. I was helping her while I was a Hixon intern. I know Poly’s food waste was massive, so I’m glad to see we are implementing and growing our sustainability.

 

What do you enjoy about your work? I like how all the calls are different but also constant. Every day has different calls and it keeps me on my toes figuring out how to respond and how to direct them. I like seeing everyone who walks into the office, well, half of their face, and seeing old teachers come in. They’re like, “oh, call me by my first name,” and I’m working on that.

 

How can others at Poly support you? I think for me it’s figuring out the right person to transfer to. If I transfer you to the wrong department, I’m sorry. I appreciate your patience as I’m new to this job.

 

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I really like to bake and watch Netflix. I just baked lemon bars from scratch. My mom said we have a ton of lemons and didn’t want them to go to waste. One type of show I enjoy are Korean dramas. One that I’m rewatching is called K2. It deals with the upper-class elite and how the rich and government are all the same people. There are a lot of shady things going on; the two main characters are trying to uncover corruption.