Keith Chan did not enter college intending to become an anthropologist. In fact, anthropology was not even his first choice of major.
Then he took a general education course in cultural anthropology. “I took a gen ed course in anthropology, didn't know what it was, and I was basically hooked,” he said.
What caught his attention was something both simple and endlessly complicated: people.
Anthropology gave Chan a way to explore human connections, beliefs, and behaviors, why people see the world differently, how communities develop shared expectations, and what happens when those perspectives meet.
That first class changed the direction of his education. It also planted another idea that would grow over time: teaching.
Chan originally imagined a career more focused on research and contributing to the field of anthropology. But he kept thinking about the experience of being a student in that first course and the role an instructor could play in bringing a subject to life.
Eventually, teaching moved from an interest to the center of his career.
“Teaching is definitely the priority,” he said.
For Chan, anthropology is particularly well-suited to the classroom because its lessons do not stay there.
He sees applications across careers and communities. Whether someone works in social services, business, education, health care, or another field entirely, they will encounter people whose experiences, beliefs, and expectations may differ from their own.
“I think anthropology fits in every career path,” he said.
That belief reflects Chan’s broader view of education: learning about people can help people better understand one another.
His own story has crossed cultures and places. Born in Hong Kong, Chan moved to San Diego with his parents and brother when he was four years old. He grew up in Mira Mesa and Poway before leaving the region for college and graduate school.
Eventually, he came home.
“So I consider San Diego my hometown,” he said.
MiraCosta became part of that homecoming. Chan taught at several institutions, including MiraCosta, as an associate faculty member for 9.5 years before joining the College full-time.
Those years also gave him an opportunity to continue developing as an educator. He points to former MiraCosta anthropology faculty member Lynn Miller as one of the people who helped shape his teaching, offering observations and advice on student engagement and on letting the subject itself shine.
Chan also learned by watching other educators—seeing different approaches to discussions, activities, and course design, then considering what fit his own students and his own style.
Over time, he developed his own approach to teaching.
And through that process, Chan came to understand more clearly why he does it.
For him, teaching is a way to contribute beyond himself. It is an idea deeply connected to the discipline he teaches. Anthropology asks people to consider how individuals live within communities and how their choices, beliefs, and interactions shape something larger.
Chan sees teaching much the same way.
“Teaching has become my thing,” he said.
He is quick to add that everyone’s “thing” will look different. It might be leadership. It might be another profession or craft. He even offered cooking as an example, something that contributes to both human survival and happiness.
What matters is finding where your interests, skills, and sense of contribution come together.
For Chan, that place is the classroom.
Teaching also gives him something in return.
“I learn a lot from each class, each semester as well, so it is two-way.”
That exchange, sharing what he has learned while continuing to learn from the people around him, brings Chan back to the human connections that first drew him to anthropology.
One general education class introduced him to a field he had not expected to study. Years later, he now has the opportunity to stand on the other side of the classroom and perhaps create that same moment of discovery for someone else.