Waco Women Profiles: Jaja Chen

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we virtually visited with Waco Women throughout our community. In their own words, we asked them to share about the work they do, the women who inspire them, and why they love Waco.

JAJA CHEN
PRIVATE PRACTICE THERAPIST & WACO SOCIAL WORKER | CO-OWNER & CHIEF OF STAFF, WACO CHA

My main areas of specialty include helping women heal from trauma and postpartum depression, anxiety and PTSD. I am the co-owner and Chief of Staff of Waco Cha, a local boba milk tea company.

At Waco Cha we have a mission of bridging cultures and creating community. We strive to bridge our Taiwanese and Chinese immigrant backgrounds with the Greater Waco community, particularly in living out our missions in diversity, community, and courage. We do this through our mobile tea truck, educating guests and individuals through social media on diversity issues, having a diverse team, and seeking to support fellow businesses and entrepreneurs in our community through collaborations and partnerships. We are involved through the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as members and I'm currently a board member of Amberley Collaborative, a local nonprofit that seeks to Cultivate Caring Communities by strengthening natural support systems including congregations.

I'm a Taiwanese - American born in Oklahoma but grew up in China and Taiwan. I lived overseas in middle school and high school and then moved to Waco to attend Baylor. That's where I studied social work and eventually continued on Waco as a social worker and now private practice therapist. I love learning about holistic health and practicing yoga and am currently in my 200-hr yoga teacher training!

A role model that made a difference [in my life] is no longer with us as she passed away from cancer a few years ago. Her name is Sharon McGill and she was my dorm mother in Taiwan during high school. Sharon was a woman of faith and a woman of compassion. She sought to care for each of her dorm children as her own and would make birthday dinners for us, take care of us when we were sick, and listen to us over tea times. Her tea times definitely contribute to why I value tea and community so much as well. Even as she was battling cancer, she was more concerned about her dorm children and those around her then herself. She exemplified selflessness even in times of pain and sorrow.

[What I love about Waco is] being able to be a part of a smaller community where there are many opportunities to get involved. I love the simpler way of living in Waco and the community-oriented approach many businesses take here in Waco. I love visiting local businesses at the farmer's market and at my favorite restaurants, including Harvest on 25th and Cajun Craft.