[3][4][5] Chin loved studying living things as a child, including in her garden,[6] and enjoyed memorizing the names of species that she read about.

[7] As a college student at University of California San Diego, she worked as a nature interpreter for the National Park Service.

[7] When Chin was in graduate school at Montana State University, studying modern grasslands, she took a job at the Museum of the Rockies.

Yet ironically, the people that have been important mentors to me are three white men who had confidence in my abilities and offered critical guidance on my academic journey.

[7]After her Masters, Chin went on to receive her PhD in Geological Sciences from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1996 where she was advised by Bruce H. Tiffney.