By Wyatt Wu
CONTRIBUTOR
Maggie Lee’s occupation is listed as news anchor, but this seems like a part-time job when compared to her penchant for performing community service.
Lee is officially listed as program producer/anchor/senior account manager for the Los Angeles branch of Sky Link TV – a Chinese news station based in the U.S. –but her duties don’t stop there. Lee anchors the station’s evening news and also hosts live-stream events.
“I’m not only the anchor but I also do marketing,” Lee said of her efforts to bring more exposure to the community.
Lee got her Bachelor of Journalism at the University of World Journalism in Taiwan. Moving to the United States, she earned her Masters in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology, or NYIT.
After graduating from NYIT, Lee relocated to California and got her first official anchor job in 1995 at Channel 62 News. Five years later, she moved on to Channel 44 before finding what has been a 13-year home at Sky Link in 2003.
Despite having a long career in news, Lee still finds time to perform community service, which brings her pride and satisfaction.
“I like to help people and give back to the community,” Lee said. “I live by the adage that it is more of a blessing to give than receive.”
Among her many philanthropic pursuits, Lee is the Southern California Chinese Honorary Chair for the American Cancer Society’s ‘Relay for Life.’ She views her role as helping to create a bridge between the Chinese and American communities in the San Gabriel Valley.
Maggie has been a member of the Chinese Club of San Marino for approximately 30 years and is currently on the board of directors. She was all smiles on July 4, representing the organization in the annual 4th of July parade.
One of the Chinese Club’s biggest events is the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Lee has served as co-master of ceremonies for the past five years. The Festival helps fundraise for the San Marino Schools Foundation and a community center at the Chinese Club’s office on Huntington Drive.
Continuing to help spread Chinese culture in the community, Lee is part of the marketing department for the 626 Night Market, an Asian-themed festival held at the Santa Anita Race track multiple weekends throughout the summer. She enjoys the rapidly increasing exposure that the night market is getting through social media and advertisements.
“When you see people introduce the 626 Market into the mainstream, it’s good to see the Chinese culture spread,” she said.
Recently, Lee was the translator for the San Marino Motor Classic, which was held in Lacy Park on June 11. She was proud of being part of the successful fundraising event.
“If events like the Motor Classic need a bilingual translator, it is very meaningful to me,” she said. “I find a great deal of pride in how much the Chinese community has grown over the years since I first moved to San Marino.”
Giving back to the community is something Lee will be doing well beyond her term as a news anchor.
“I still can help the community, I don’t want to retire,” she said.
To this day, Lee closely follows a Chinese saying that roughly translates into: “Helping people is the base of happiness.”
Maggie and her husband, Andrew, have a son, Darren, who graduated from San Marino High School and is a sophomore at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“We love this community,” she said in closing.
