Queena Chen is a San Francisco Native, first generation Chinese American, and a mother of two. She grew up in a working class immigrant family. Queena attended San Francisco Public School from elementary to high school. She was one of the first in her family to graduate from UC Davis and obtain her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco. Queena currently works for the City and County of San Francisco as an Administrative Analyst
San Francisco Will Always Be Home
In 5th grade, Queena’s family was Ellis Acted from her childhood home that she shared with her extended family. It was a very traumatic event for Queena. Her family didn’t have anywhere to go. Growing up in an immigrant family meant she was the default English translator. Queena went through the process of losing her home and unable to understand why it happened. It was around 2018 when she realized her family was Ellis Acted from her childhood home. Although the cost of living and housing prices are extremely high in San Francisco, Queena hopes to raise her young daughters in the city that she loves.
Inspired By the Community
Queena is currently the Co-Chair of Chinatown Transportation Research and Improvement Project (TRIP). Chinatown TRIP is a volunteer advocacy group that fights for transit equity and pedestrian safety in San Francisco. Queena also serves on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Citizen Advisory Committee and the Muni Reliability Working Group.
Queena is dedicated to transit equity because transportation makes a difference in lives. Reliable public transportation can bring economic stability, education opportunities, and increase one’s well being. Growing up, Queena saw transit inequities based on the neighborhoods she was in. It was easier for her to take public transportation from Outer Mission to Marina Middle School than to Burton High School. Queena was inspired to make a difference in public transit because of the founders of Chinatown TRIP.
