People are quick to discuss Mark Zuckerberg
However, the billionaire Facebook founder's wife has an eye-opening story of her own
Here are some things you may not know about Priscilla Chan. Zuckerberg famously went to Harvard University, and that's where he met the love of his life
in line for the bathroom at a frat party in 2003. Chan was also attending the Ivy League school, and the two brilliant students apparently had
an instant connection. In addition to her book smarts and intense knowledge of science
The philanthropist is also fluent in not one, not two, but three languages. She told Today
"'I grew up speaking Cantonese at home, English, obviously from school and growing up here.
She also speaks Spanish, which she chose to learn for an incredible reason — to better help her
patients. She explained, "'You can be a better provider and really connect better with individuals
if you can speak their language. And so I started studying Spanish in college and get lots of
practice in my work." Chan may have gone to Harvard, a university famous for producing captains of industry
politicians, and other notable public figures, but her life goal is to help people in any
way she can. Perhaps that's why she started the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, an organization she founded with
her husband that, according to their website, works on "...preventing and eradicating disease
improving learning experiences for kids, and reforming the criminal justice system." Chan told Quartz back has been part of my life before I even met Mark Throughout my schooling and my career I kept seeing problems affecting children students and adults
So much so that she felt there was, quote, "'A fundamental lack of hope.'
With that in mind, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was born. Chan added
"'So what if we take that lens of a frontline practitioner, if we take the tall set of building
technology, what niche might we be able to fill in the world of actually making social impact?
During an interview with CNN Business to discuss CZI, Chan admitted that she hates the spotlight
but will make appearances to help her organization. I'm here because people told me it'd be good for CZI
No one's ever been that candid with me in an interview. One of the most infamous aspects of Zuckerberg is that he seems to almost always be wearing
the same outfit, despite being insanely rich. In many public appearances, speeches, and events
Zuckerberg is seen wearing a hoodie, and while people have criticized him for his clothing
choices, his wife Chan will never be one to do so. In fact, she's become something of a
hoodie apologist for her hubby, telling Today in 2014, He's graduated to a nicer hoodie, one that's nicer and softer, so he's really excited about that
I'm happy with whatever he wants to wear, as long as it's appropriate for where we're going
So he can't wear it to weddings, and he can't wear it to baby showers, but he can do whatever else he wants
Some women might be appalled if their husband always wore the same thing But not Chan She added pro hoodie He wears a fresh hoodie every day so that pretty much meets my lowest barrier for him When Zuckerberg first got back together with Chan after a breakup things weren all peachy keen
The couple is happily married now, but once upon a time, they had some serious compromises to make
In fact, in order for them to work things out, Chan had one specific stipulation. In the book
The Facebook Effect, author David Kirkpatrick wrote about how Chan and Zuckerberg allegedly
negotiated the terms of their relationship after they got back together and before they
got married. Kirkpatrick wrote, "...while they wouldn't live together, they would spend a minimum of 100 minutes of time
alone each week and have at least one date, which would not be either at his apartment
or at Facebook." Those claims are yet to be verified, and it's not exactly commonplace to hammer out relation
details in contract form, but the rumors suggest it works for Chan and Zuckerberg
Despite her vast riches, Chan isn't a big spender. In fact, Zuckerberg's wife is a
super practical when it comes to money. As a source told The New York Times, in 2012
when Chan was out shopping with her sister-in-law, she saw an expensive pair of shoes she liked
Her sister-in-law told them she should just get them since she has money now, but Chan reportedly responded
When it comes to Chan and Zuckerberg's joint business and philanthropy venture
CZI, Chan has found a way to balance her work and personal life. She told Quartz
It not a hierarchy We have to walk the balance of our decisions Zuckerberg offered some insight in the same interview saying used to go out to dinner to talk about CZI one night a week but that felt weird over time because we also go out on dates
I just think psychologically you want to have different places, so now we carve off time
like our one-on-ones.'" "'Who started date night? Whose idea was that?' "'It's Mark's idea.'" "'Really? Yes.'
Chan clearly knows how to juggle her work and personal life, and make it work for her
entire family. Chan may be one of the most powerful women in the world, married to one of the most
powerful men in the world, that she still has to find her own way to express her emotions
Speaking with Quartz, Chan came right out with it, saying, "'I want to tell you up front, I'm a crier.'
"'You have this way of communicating kind of the soul of something that I think it's inspiring.'
One of Chan's colleagues explained, "'When she's feeling exhausted or overwhelmed and sometimes when she's really ecstatic
it's just one of her ways of expressing. But all that emotion doesn't bring her down when
she's working, as Chan is as cool as a cucumber in stressful situations. One of Chan's co-workers shared
"...she was so calm under pressure, really quick thinking, even dealing with something
really stressful, she had total capacity to deal with it." With Zuckerberg at the helm of his massive, arguably culture-changing social media platform
and Chan smoothly running its philanthropic wing, this pair is a total professional powerhouse
and it sounds like they managed to do it all with an eye on a healthy work-life balance
Thank you