This story is from a current enrollee in NAPCA’s Senior  Environmental Employment (SEE) program in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North California.

Jerry J. Liu
SEE Enrollee, North California

I grew up in Southwest China in a mountainous region. I worked as a farmer and as a factory worker under the Cultural Revolution, which happened when I was in middle school.  I later  enrolled as a special student in a medical college, and eventually earned a master’s degree in Pharmacology there, and worked in a traditional medicine institute for  five years.

In 1987, I came to the United States as a visiting scholar at the  University of Kansas Medical Center, where I earned my PH.D. At that time, I did not experience any culture shock, thanks to the warmest people in Kansas! I worked at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park for two years, and then moved  back to Kansas City where I took early retirement in 2015. I became a  SEE enrollee doing laboratory work at the Environmental Protection  Agency (EPA) back at RTP, NC. Because English is not my first language, it is always a challenge to improve my English pronunciation.

I am happy that in the United States, I learned to be a good  scientist and contribute to the community and society. I am thankful  that the Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) program has allowed me to continue to do laboratory work through EPA, and to feel a sense of accomplishment.  NAPCA has helped me a lot, and to keep me busy after  retirement is very helpful.

As we continue to celebrate 40 years of service, we will share more stories from our seniors, please click here to read more stories. You can also support more seniors like Jerry and click here to donate now to support the continuing mission of NAPCA.