Who is Jeff Mahn?

Favorite Quotes

Since there is so much of who I am in the other pages of this website, especially so in the journal entries, I decided to use this space to give you a brief overview of my life.

I grew up as part of a family of five in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.  I lived in Canton until I was 18 and left to go to university after I graduated from public high school. 

I started my time as a tenured college student at Muhlenberg College in Allentown Pennsylvania.  I grew tremendously at Muhlenberg where I began to  overcome my shyness by participating in a plethora of activities while being a physics major.  I was class president and captain of the cross-country team for three years.  However, I never really got a good handle on balancing all of my activities and my studies.  Nor did I grow a lot spiritually or emotionally. 

The growth in those areas was to occur at Washington University where I went next for a second bachelor�s degree in mechanical engineering.  I decided to go for a second bachelors because I had grown to dislike how theoretical my physics classes had become.  I wanted to do something more practical, but I knew that for a job as an engineer I would need the additional educational background.  The two schools have a program where you can go to the first school for three years and then to Wash U for two years and walk away with both degrees.  I extended the length to four years at Muhlenberg and then three years at Wash U by co-oping for a year.

Which was fine with me because I loved being in school again.  It was like going back to college, but being confident in who you are so you don�t have to go through the exploring again.  I finally learned to study well and I found this amazing place called the Newman Center.

At Newman, I was surrounded by a vibrant, loving and social community of peers.  I was challenged as never before regarding my faith, my relationships and my views.  I grew so much and learned so much about myself and others.  I gained confidence in me and how to relate to other people.  I made some amazing friends at Newman and participated in some tremendous retreats and activities.

I graduated with my BSME in 95 and decided to remain in the St. Louis area by accepting an engineering position at the Emerson Motor Company.  I also began studying for my masters in mechanical engineering which I would receive in 97.  Studying full time while working full time was not always easy, but by working at Emerson I was given access to tools for my research for my thesis that I would not have otherwise had.  Emerson was tremendously  supportive of me throughout my studies for my masters as well as when I decided to go to India. 

The trip to India was part of an international service trip through the Newman center.  It was an experience that amazed me and forever changed my life.  You can read more about the India trip in the history section of this web site by clicking here.

I returned from India and returned to my normal life as an engineer and a student.  And then I grew restless.  Something had changed.  I remember feeling so miserable.  What was it?  What had happened?  I remember sitting in mass at night during one of Fr. Gary�s amazing homilies.  I don�t remember exactly what it was about that night or exactly what he said that inspired me.  What I do remember was that during the homily I looked to one side of the chapel and saw my friend Doug who had recently returned from serving in the Peace Corps in Ghana.  Suddenly, it all seemed to make sense.  I knew what I needed to do.  It was if a fire had been stirred in me and I wanted to volunteer internationally again, but this time for longer.

I began my long search for an opportunity to volunteer.  I wanted to serve as an engineer since that is my gift, but it was not to be.  Everyone wanted me to teach math or science or English.  Finally, after a year of searching, of debating and deciding, I stumbled across WorldTeach almost by accident.

My parents were extremely supportive of my going, but thought that I was a little nuts.  Here I was an engineer with two patents, two publications and a professional license, leaving it all behind to go teach in China.  Something that just was not done when they were my age.  Emerson was also very supportive of my trip and for that I am eternally grateful.

As my mind also continues to heal.  In December, my heart was still in China where I knew that I should have been.  The months following my return were very difficult as I adapted to the US, looked for a job, adjusted to living at home and struggled with the other changes in my life.

While you are volunteering abroad, your everyday life seems extraordinary.  You are constantly experiencing new things and every day is an adventure.  You also feel like what you are doing matters; that your life has a purpose.  Here I was volunteering a year of my life to help the students of Wuzhong and my students and school were not shy in expressing their appreciation.  And then I returned to the US where my future was uncertain.  Whereas while I was in Yantai, I had a large email distribution list of people who wanted to hear my day to day adventures, I felt that my life upon returning would have bored even my closest friends to tears. 

Living in Yantai, my biggest concern was my lesson plans (oh how I struggled sometimes).  Living a simpler life where bills or your wardrobe or getting gas for your car are not on your mind, allows you to concentrate on what really matters, your relationships with others.  For what may have been the first time in my life, i was enjoying the constant human interaction that I experienced in Yantai.  Not that I did not need to escape the interaction to take time for myself now and then.  But, the interaction and the �good China moments� were something that I missed terribly upon my return to the United States.

I miss my Yantai friends, my students and my life in Yantai.  I am fortunate to have maintained correspondences with several of my Chinese friends including my Mantou friend, Li Mei (she is mentioned frequently in my journal entries).  I had the priveledge of visiting Yantai again in January of 2002 to see my friends and students again.  You can read the journal entries that I wrote about my return.

I am currently a full time student once again, but this time with a twist.  I am studying at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen as part of a two year program in acoustics.  The people of northern Europe are geniuses with sound and I am excited about what I am learning.  Furthermore, I have been offered a fellowship and in return for my tuition and a monthly stipend, I will be researching noise in motors and pumps.  The school has a large international student population so I am getting the chance to meet people from all over the world which is a lot of fun.  And I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Northern Europe during my holidays.  You can read more about my life in Denmark on the Denmark Adventure page.

 jeffmahn@hotmail.com

The website and all pictures and text are Copyright � 2003 by Jeffrey Mahn
Reproduction of the text or pictures without the authors permission is prohibited.