Chih McDermott L’22

Originally from the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA, Chih earned a B.A. from Williams College and an M.Ed. from Boston University. He started his professional career with Teach for America (TFA), teaching 9th grade mathematics at Durfee High School in Fall River, MA. During his five years at Durfee, Chih worked as a mentor for new teachers, represented his school on the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet, and was a program director for OneGoal MA, a college access program for young people from low-income communities. During his summers, he helped train new teachers with TFA and worked as an education policy intern in Rhode Island Governor’s Office.

At Penn Law, Chih works as an advocate with the Youth Advocacy Project, partnering with the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project and young people in Pennsylvania involved in the adult criminal justice system. He also volunteers with the Homeless Advocacy Project. Chih hopes his law degree will help him dismantle systemic barriers facing young people.