Meet Jaja Chen
She’s a local therapist and licensed clinical social worker in Waco. She is also the co-owner of Cha Community, a downtown cafe that serves Boba tea and Asian cuisine such as dumplings. On top of that, Jaja is co-founder of the nonprofit Asian Leaders Network, which hosts cultural festivals and celebrations to elevate Asian communities, cultures and arts in the Greater Waco area.
Her journey to Waco
Jaja grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. When she was in middle school, the family moved to Taiwan and mainland China, where she developed a deep appreciation of her cultural roots and family traditions. She fondly remembers spending time with friends at night markets and grabbing Boba tea during lunch breaks in high school in Taiwan.
She moved to Waco to attend Baylor University. It was a shock to move from Taiwan to a Texas community whose population was only 2% Asian. She struggled in those early years with her Asian American identity.
As an undergraduate she began a relationship with Devin Li, a Chinese native who had come to the U.S. at age 12. The couple married in Dec. 2015.
Jaja continued to pursue her interest in trauma therapy, earning a master of social work degree from Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work in 2016 and taking a job as a social worker and counselor at Family Abuse Center.
Her career path
Early in her career, Chen immersed herself in the study of how trauma affects the body, brain and nervous system. She went on to receive training and certification in a therapy technique called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR.
She spent several years in nonprofit and counseling center settings before transitioning to private practice.
Those formative years taught her how trauma impacts not only individuals but families and generations within a community.
Meanwhile, she and Devin began their business at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market in 2018. The business, eventually called Cha Community, evolved into a food truck then moved into a brick-and-mortar location at 1001 Franklin Ave. in spring 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her role in building Waco
Jaja continues to work in private practice as a therapist and clinical social worker.
At Cha Community, Jaja works largely behind the scenes on strategic planning, marketing, public relations, and community engagement. Her work includes developing social media content, brainstorming new menu items, planning events, retail development, and visioning for the future of the business.
As a small business owner herself, she is passionate about supporting other local small businesses and about Cha Community’s mission of bridging cultures and creating community.
She is board chair of Asian Leaders Network, which she co-founded in 2022. The organization hosts annual celebrations including the Diwali Festival and Lunar New Year Market.
What inspires her work
Jaja is inspired by nature, travel, art and her Taiwanese cultural roots. Carrying on her family’s heritage and legacy is central to her work. She views her life as the fulfillment of her ancestors’ dreams and feels deeply motivated to continue creating meaningful cultural spaces in Waco.
Much of her work is rooted in community, creativity and cultural connection. She finds inspiration in celebrating the work of other creatives and artists and enjoys attending cultural festivals, handmade and farmers markets and museums.
Key moments in her journey
One meaningful moment for Jaja came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when anti-Asian hate and racism increased across the United States and affected local Asian residents and businesses in Waco.
“I realized at that point that there was such a gap in resources for Asian folks in Waco,” she said. “There wasn’t any nonprofit entity or organization that was trying to bring Asian folks together.”
Witnessing these challenges highlighted the lack of representation, resources and community for Asians in the area. These experiences helped shape the founding of Asian Leaders Network and further solidified the mission behind Cha Community.
During this time, Jaja also had the opportunity to share Cha Community’s story before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee in 2021, representing immigrant-owned businesses on a national platform. Since then, Cha Community and Jaja’s work have been recognized as a Forbes Next 1000 small business and a Square 50 Small Business. She is also a James Beard Foundation WEL alumna and former Tory Burch Foundation fellow.
How she sees Waco
Jaja sees Waco as a small Central Texas city with a strong sense of community, where residents often run into one another at local markets, restaurants, and gatherings. She values the communal atmosphere and the ease of navigating the city compared to larger metropolitan areas.
At the same time, she recognizes that Waco continues to face challenges related to growth, development, affordable housing, food access, infrastructure, multigenerational poverty, and education. She believes these are ongoing issues that local leaders will continue to navigate in the years ahead.
Her vision for Waco’s future
Jaja envisions a Waco that is vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous for all people, regardless of cultural background or heritage. She hopes the city continues to approach social and communal challenges with creativity, collaboration and innovation while maintaining the small-town feel that makes Waco unique.
For Jaja, keeping people and relationships at the center of growth is essential to ensuring Waco’s future remains rooted in community and care.
Waco Voices is a project by The Waco Bridge to highlight unsung heroes in our community who are bringing about positive change. If you know of someone we should highlight in this series, email Community Engagement and Events Manager Dominic Villa at dominic.villa@wacobridge.org.
Correction, Feb. 3, 2026, 11:34 a.m. Central: A previous version of this article misstated the job Chen took after she graduated from Baylor School of Social Work. She was a counselor at Family Abuse Center.
