3 minute read
Meet the Chens: Happy to call Northgate home
Photo by Julie Cheshire Photography
www.NorthgateLivingCA.com
@NorthgateLivingCA
Story by Kara Navolio, Northgate resident since 1991
Eric and Melissa Chen have lived in many places across the U.S., but have fallen in love with the Bay Area and are happy to call Northgate home.
Eric, originally from Topeka, Kansas, and Melissa, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, met while both were college students in Boston, MA. Eric was attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while Melissa studied across the Charles River at Boston University, earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees there.
Melissa then made the big move to California to attend medical school at the USC Keck School of Medicine. After a year of the coast to coast relationship, Eric followed suit and moved to California to attend graduate school at Stanford University where he earned his Master’s and PhD in engineering. For the time being, they were at least in the same state.
By 2006, both were living in the Bay Area while Melissa was completing her medical internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. They married in 2006 at a winery in Sonoma. “It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and really made us fall in love with the Bay Area even more,” said Melissa.
However, the Bay Area would not become home quite yet. Soon after their wedding they packed up with their cat Beni and moved to San Diego while Melissa completed her neurology residency and dementia fellowship at UC San Diego. There Eric also started his current career path in biotech.
After five years in Southern California, the couple returned to the Bay Area having added their first child, daughter Isla, and another cat (Sadie) to the family. It was 2011, and although they enjoyed La Jolla and taking Isla on hikes and to the beach, “we decided to return to the Bay Area for all that it has to offer both culturally and professionally. We discovered Walnut Creek when Melissa was recruited to join a local neurology practice,” stated Eric. “The beautiful city, warm weather, and family friendliness made it a perfect place to call home. It’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We still remember taking Isla to the Heather Farms playground during our visit and discussing our future here.”
Melissa is now a partner at BASS Neurology Medical Group with a busy clinical practice in Pleasant Hill and also providing neurology care at both John Muir Hospitals, while Eric is now at his 7th biotech company in 12 years in an industry where there is rarely a dull moment. His current company is a start-up in San Francisco focusing on rare diseases. After settling in Walnut Creek, the couple’s 2nd and 3rd children were born, Carson and Fiona, bringing the family to 5.
The young family is very busy with the children’s activities; they all enjoy sports. Both Eric and Melissa are accomplished athletes. Eric was an All-American tennis player in college, while Melissa was an avid runner and completed both the Boston and LA marathons. Now they enjoy cheering on the kids at their many sporting events. Isla’s favorite is competitive gymnastics, and Carson’s favorite is baseball. The two older kids attend public school at Valle Verde Elementary. “Despite all the organized activities, they love nothing more than playing with our neighbors on the street or spending the afternoon at the pool,” said Eric. The family believes in having fun, doing your best and embracing challenges. Beni and Sadie, on the other hand, enjoy sleeping in the Northgate sunshine during the day and peace and quiet after the kids go to bed.
Before children, and even with baby Isla, the Chens enjoyed travel in Europe, Asia and South America. But now, when time allows, the Chens love travelling to spots around the U.S., as well as taking trips to Disneyland or Legoland. Making time for vacation with extended family to Hawaii or on a cruise is also a priority.
“We feel lucky to have stumbled into Northgate and have wonderful neighbors. Through the kids’ schools and activities, we’ve also formed many relationships with other families. We find the community to be safe, inclusive and genuine,” reflected Melissa. And Northgate is lucky to have a family that embraces all that is great about the neighborhood: the schools, the activities, and the people who call Northgate home.
