University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Chancellor Julie Chen has been honored by the Boston LGBTQ Museum, being featured in their 2025 Portraits of Pride Collection. Chancellor Chen is currently serving as the first LGBTQ+ person and just the second woman to occupy the office of Chancellor at UMass Lowell. The museum featured a profile of Chancellor Chen and the rest of the selections on their website, specifically highlighting her achievements of driving the University’s growth to an R1 Research status and the inception of the LINC project. These accomplishments are set to propel the university into the forefront of higher education in the next decade, with Chancellor Chen leading the way, proudly sharing her identity as an LGBTQ+ and Asian-American woman.

The efforts displayed by Chancellor Chen are representative of the institution as a whole. In a time of uncertainty, the University of Massachusetts Lowell continues to support its students in an environment committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. That includes the Career & Co-op Center, which is designed to prepare students for their careers after graduation through internships, co-ops, research positions, and career-connected experiences.

A large part of that job search can often include finding a work opportunity that will embrace your identity as an employee and as a person in the community, and the Career & Co-op Center is equipped to help students through that process.

Chancellor Chen has demonstrated that LGBTQ+ professionals bring unique perspectives to leaderships roles that help to shape the values of a community, and has paved the way for UMass Lowell students and alumni to achieve great things in their professional lives.

Learn more about how UMass Lowell can support LGBTQ+ students here.