Deferring to serve

As the son of immigrants newly acclimated to America, Jie Hou knows the importance of a college degree and the value of giving back to the community.

Hou, who graduated as a University Scholar with a BS in cell biology in 2007, is currently pursuing a master’s-PhD in biochemistry with adviser Carolyn Teschke, associate professor of molecular and cell biology

 Before he completes his PhD, however, he will serve four years in the United States Air Force. Hou enlisted in the ROTC as an undergraduate.

“When I first got to UConn I was only taking biology classes, but I didn’t know what I’d be doing after college. I thought the Air Force had a lot to offer and I think that, because we’ve been so lucky to have the opportunity to come over here I should take the opportunity to give back,” he says.

The “we’ Hou refers to are his parents and brother, who brought him to West Hartford, Connecticut in 1999 from Qing Yuan, an impoverished village in China that had a strong sense of community but offered little chance of upward mobilization.

“I grew up in a poor village where everyone worked hard everyday. In such a small community you can learn a lot from other people, and the people of my village were good people. Back in the day, when communism was prominent and everyone worked hard but only got a share of what they gave, my parents taught me you have to be honest and work for the sake of being a worker, and not for bank returns.”

Hou has now added to the lessons of his parents the three basic core values learned in the Air Force: integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

“I understand a lot of people don’t want to join the military now, but I don’t mind of they deploy me to the front line; I have no complaint. The three core values taught me that I cannot be selfish, and I like the military. It’s a great way of giving back.”

Hou’s uncle, who has lived in Hartford since 1979, filed a petition with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service that brought Hou’s family to Hartford. While it took 10 years on a waiting list to get approval to come to the United States, Hou has made the most of his short time here.

As part of his PhD program at UConn, Hou has been conducting research that focuses on two secretion proteins that come from the pathogen that causes tuberculosis.

“This is interesting because, if you get rid of one of the proteins the bacteria dies, and if you get rid of the other it makes it less effective in causing the disease,” Hou explains. “If someone can come up with a drug that can target these two proteins we can have a more effective way of fighting TB, a disease widespread in developing countries.”

Hou’s binding agreement with the Air Force is signed and he will put his research on hold and leave in October for Texas, where he will train for nine months before receiving his first assignment. October, at this point, is the only certainty in Hou’s life.

“I plan on coming back to UConn to finish my PhD program, but things may change, so you never know.” – Curran Kennedy, CLAS ‘08