Alyssia Chen is among this year's honorees of Pacific Business News’ annual Inno Under 25 awards. To see the other winners, click here.
Alyssia Chen
Age: 22
After graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with dual degrees in computer science and marketing, Alyssia Chen is now working toward a master’s in computer science at the university. Last year, in partnership with fellow Inno Under 25 honoree Timothy Huo, Chen created Tadish, a mobile app that allows users to record and rate individual dishes — rather than restaurants — and provides individualized suggestions based on their preferences.
“Current food apps don’t capture this nuance because their ratings are restaurant-centered rather than dish-centered. As someone who loves food, it’s painful to see good food go to waste because it didn’t match someone’s taste or to feel hesitant about recommending a dish because it might not suit someone else’s taste buds,” she said.
Tadish was one of the finalists at this year’s UH Venture Competition and ultimately placed third out of more than 40 competitors.
In addition, Chen has been an active member of various UH clubs, including serving as the communications officer for the Association for Computing Machinery Hawaii Chapter and the marketing officer for the Ballroom Dancing Club. She also was president of the PANDA (Programming and Algorithms) club, where she helped guide 35 undergraduates in solving technical programming questions and mentored them in professional development.
Chen has also competed — and placed — in international competitions, taking seventh out of more than 240 teams in a digital marketing competition, and placing second in a hackathon as part of a team that created an app that tracks sustainability habits.
What accomplishment are you most proud of to date?
I’m proud of stepping out of my comfort zone with Tadish, conducting interviews with strangers about their eating habits, and gathering feedback through surveys.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
As an aspiring computer scientist with a marketing background, I love prototyping whenever an idea strikes. Whether it’s a game, website or mobile app, my imagination — and current technical skills — is the limit.
How do you envision the future — what is next for you, and what is your ultimate career goal?
For me, Tadish was a valuable learning experience because I gained a better understanding of user experience and an innovative mindset. I hope to continue honing my technical and marketing skills in the future. Ultimately, I want to use my skill set to contribute to my future career and society.
The “brain drain” has long been an issue for Hawaii. What do you think the state needs to retain its younger workforce?
This is a very complex issue. I think it’s not an easy problem to solve because the younger workforce may feel like there are limited job opportunities and the cost of living is too high. To retain its younger workforce, I hope the state can invest in education and encourage industry diversification. I believe that expanding excellent programs like PACE, which support local startups, and fostering partnerships between universities and companies to create internships can provide pathways for young talent to stay. Addressing housing costs is also essential to make living here more feasible for young professionals.
