As a Chinese donor to BYU-Hawaii merit scholarships is turning 70 years old, the university gathered a few Chinese students together to take a group photo, which will be sent to the donor along with the signatures of those students as a birthday gift.
Timothy Chan, a sophomore from Hong Kong majoring in biology education, said he is grateful for the donors of the merit scholarships because they are important to students in need.
“Before, I thought there were only very few donors for the school, but now I know there are actually many of them. We should really learn to cherish that and express our gratitude,” said Chan.
Chan said he wanted to know the name of the donor, but only the gender of the donor was given. “The donor is anonymous, but if I knew who he was, I would be able to learn more about him, thank him by his name, and pray for him.”
Jason Chang, a senior from Taiwan studying graphic design, said since the donor is Chinese, he has an extra feeling of affinity for the donor. “I’m already grateful for those who give us financial aid. Now, knowing that this donor and I have the same ethnicity, I feel even closer to him.”
Chang said donors for the school are providing students the opportunity to receive a Western education at a reasonable price. He explained, “Compared with the costs of other universities in America, we’re paying very cheap tuition fees here at BYUH. Then the merit scholarship makes it even cheaper. We should really be grateful.”
The GPA requirements for merit scholarships increased last year and Chang said it is more difficult for students to get the scholarship, but it’s important for students to be self-reliant.
Chang said, “We can’t just always rely on the merit scholarship. We also need to work hard by ourselves. I understand that the school must have reasons for raising the requirements.”
Wesley Ng, a senior from Hong Kong majoring in graphic design, was the photographer for the event. Ng said it was good to see students’ sincere attitudes.
“The students who showed up don’t know the donor. However, they were still willing to come and support the event even during the final week,” said Ng.
Writer: Tomson Cheang