By pursuing her academic dreams at UWindsor, Tiffany Huang became a third-generation science student.

The fourth-year undergraduate is currently studying biology and psychology. Her father, William Huang, studied the same double major in the 1990s. But she says her academic legacy story starts with her grandfather, Fore-lien Huang, who finished a biology doctorate in the 1970s.

“I’m constantly reminded of how interconnected our journeys truly are,” says Huang.

Her grandfather came to UWindsor to pursue his PhD, and while living in Windsor, he and his wife, Meichi Huang, welcomed their son William. Tiffany Huang says her grandparents returned home for Fore-lien to become a professor at the National Taiwan University.

“He is still teaching endocrinology and developmental biology as a retired professor. He also still has his own lab, and it is just so inspiring to see.”

William moved back to Windsor for high school and stayed to pursue his undergraduate studies. After finishing dental school at University of Toronto, he moved back to Taiwan to open a practice.

Tiffany Huang’s grandmother Meichi Huang, grandfather Fore-Lien Huang, and father William Huang pose on the steps of Essex Hall during celebration’s of Fore-Lein’s graduation.

Tiffany Huang grew up in Taiwan dreaming of coming to Canada for her post-secondary studies. She was accepted to the University of Toronto, but she chose Windsor because of all the family stories she grew up with.

“It was a tug of war between do I count on the wonderful things my family had to say about this place for the longest time, or do I count on the fact that a couple of my friends were heading to U of T,” she said.

“I don’t regret my decision to come here and I’m glad I’m able to thrive in this environment.

“The faculty here are approachable and willing to help. I have so many nice things to say about all of the biology and psychology faculty.”

It was not a stretch for Huang to choose to the biology path.

“From the cell molecular level of it to the ecology aspects of it, I have found biology to be so fascinating,” she says.

“There are so many systems around you as an individual that make up your experience of life and biology is such an integral aspect of it.”

Though biology was always a given, Huang says she is happy she enrolled as a double major.

“Socially there is so much I’ve learned,” Huang says.  “The way of understanding how people’s thought processes came to be, circumstances that have shaped them — I wouldn’t have considered if I was only in the biology track.”

For her fourth-year thesis, she is researching misconceptions surrounding vaccines with integrative biology professor Tanya Noel.

Beyond her academic work, Huang is co-president of the Biology Students’ Union, a teaching assistant for human physiology, an awareness co-ordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society fundraising organization Relay for Life, and is involved in Little Kindness as a club manager, promoting student wellness with small acts of kindness in the UWindsor community.

As Huang nears the end of her degree, she looks forward to furthering her studies in health care, where she plans to combine her passion for biology and psychology to make a meaningful impact in the field of dentistry. In June, her graduation will be a celebration of her achievements, with the three generations gathering back at the University of Windsor to honour their shared academic legacy.