If you’re lucky, you’ve crossed paths with Sierra Chen.

Maybe you did business with Sowind Corporation, the international import-export company she ran from Orange County for 33 years. Maybe you reached for the same perfect paintbrush in an art supply store. Or maybe, you know (or were) a K–12 student who benefited from her philanthropy with the UCLA Olga Radko Endowed Math Circle, a free weekly enrichment program for gifted students across the greater Los Angeles area.

Over the years, Chen has made a series of significant financial gifts to support the circle, known as ORMC, including a commitment of $1 million in November 2024. But that’s only one aspect of how she has given back to her community.

“It’s inspiring to see what a difference Sierra has made for so many, but she is a very private person,” said Andrew Atkeson, UCLA’s Stanley M. Zimmerman Professor of Economics. “People at UCLA always want to celebrate her for everything she’s done, but she would rather keep the spotlight on the work she supports.”

Giving back, looking forward

Although Chen did not learn about the Olga Radko Endowed Math Circle until a few years after it was established, in 2007, she immediately realized how special it — and its math professor founder Olga Radko — were.

“It was a true calling for Olga, who poured her heart and soul into the program,” Chen said. “I believe in this program and don’t want anyone involved with it to have to worry about finances — I want it to last a long, long time.”

Becoming the program’s most ardent longtime supporter and a trusted friend to its team, Chen made an especially meaningful major gift in 2021 to endow the circle to honor its leader, who died the previous year.

“It was Sierra’s idea to name the math circle after Olga, which was so wonderful,” said Dima Shlyakhtenko, director of the UCLA Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics and the widower of Radko. “Sierra is such a truly kind person who has remained supportive and endlessly generous in every way.”

As important as honoring the circle’s past is to Chen, she is even more dedicated to ensuring its future is bright.

“Her gifts are our lifeline, especially since the circle and summer programs have grown so much; it’s thanks to her generosity we now have a string of very strong postdocs and a great associate director,” said Oleg Gleizer, director of the ORMC. “And through it all, Sierra remains so nice and business-focused.”

One of the many ways Chen also helps is through longtime service as a member of the ORMC steering committee. Using her business acumen, Chen has offered budgetary guidance and helped establish internal procedures early on that have ensured it runs smoothly.

A problem solver in every sense of the word

Math has always been important to Chen, who graduated from UCLA in 1993 with a master’s in the subject. It’s been a passion of hers ever since she was an elementary school student in Taipei, one of 50 children in a classroom looking at a difficult math problem on the board. 

“Out of nowhere, the teacher picked me to go up front and solve it in front of everyone — you can imagine how nerve-wracking it was,” Chen said. “I still remember what it was like when I actually solved the problem, how the teacher looked at me differently and how it felt to realize, ‘I’m actually good at this.’”

When she was 14, her parents sent her to the U.S. to complete her education. Although they arranged for her to live with family friends and even stayed with her for a couple of months to help her settle in, they eventually had to return home.

Left largely on her own to navigate a new country and — perhaps even more daunting, freshman year of high school — Chen faced the moment with the resolve that would one day make her a cool-headed businesswoman.

“I was a bit scared, but I made a silent vow to myself that there was no turning back: I knew I had to make a life here,” she said. “And so I did.”

She demonstrated that same strength of character years later when she completed her master’s. Although Chen wanted to continue on to earn a Ph.D., she had to choose between further pursuing her academic dreams or taking on the responsibility of running her family’s global business. She opted for the latter.  

Instead of being disappointed that she had to pivot, Chen made room in her overstuffed schedule to teach math part-time at Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College for nearly seven years. That choice exemplified her commitment to using her time and resources to help others — a central tenet of compassion she always finds herself returning to. 

When she traveled to Kenya, for example, Chen was part of a group that visited an orphanage school.

“I’ll never forget seeing these kids doing math, so eager to learn. I’m sure there were very talented students, too, but I thought to myself, ‘It’s unfortunate they don’t have their own math circle,’” Chen said. “It was a very humbling moment to be reminded that not every student will receive the opportunities they deserve, and it made me more determined than ever to give all I can to this program.”