What the First Lady of Silicon Valley Can Teach You About Dating

She’s been married to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for three years, and recently gave birth to their first child.

Priscilla

Paediatrician Dr. Priscilla Chan managed to land one of Silicon Valley’s young hot bachelors. How did the Massachusetts native, who was born to immigrant parents, do it? It turns out that Dr. Chan has quite a bit going for her, other than the title of Mrs. Zuckerberg, and she has a lot to teach the rest of us about getting the man of our dreams. Here are some things you didn’t know about Priscilla and Mark’s relationships, and how you can apply it to your own dating life.

They were friends first.

Mark and Priscilla met as Harvard undergraduates. They were at a mutual friend’s party when they bumped into each other outside the washroom. She said that she liked him right away, and thought he was very interesting. Mark took her out on a date, and the rest is history. The two were friends, and then in a relationship for 10 years before tying the knot in 2012.

She accepts her partner for who he is.

With billions and billions of dollars to his name, certainly Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t need to be walking around in a hoodie all the time, right? But he wants to, and Priscilla doesn’t judge him or criticize him for it. She has been quoted as saying that she doesn’t mind his hoodies, as long as he is dressed appropriately. Men hate to be criticised for their looks, so Priscila is the ultimate supportive wife.

She has her own accomplishments.

She’s a Harvard graduate and the first in her family to finish college. That’s a real accomplishment. To top it off, she’s a pediatrician, and before marrying Mark, she volunteered with children’s causes. Men (especially powerful men, like the Facebook CEO) want a woman who is as accomplished as he is. They want to be half of a power couple, and they want a girlfriend or wife who can hold her own.

She’s a natural beauty.

Have you seen photos of Priscilla? Although she smartly dressed, she is never overdressed and is never either sloppy or tottering around in stiletto heels and a cleavage-baring top. She’s always classy and her makeup is always subtle and her hair is tidy. It’s very fitting for a doctor, and she looks approachable and lovely. No wonder Mark fell in love with her.

She’s as smart as a whip.

She speaks three languages – English, Spanish and Cantonese, and was voted the smartest person in her graduating class. Still, she doesn’t rub it in and apparently is very nice and very approachable. Men like women who can hold up their end of the conversation, and who know that the world doesn’t stop and end at their doorsteps.

With these traits, it’s no wonder that Priscilla won the heart of one of the world’s richest young men. She’s got quite a bit that we can learn from.