Former professor of Special Education at BYU–Hawaii, Dr. Barbara Hong, and author of “Failing Up: A Professor’s Odyssey of Flunking, Determination, and Hope,” shared she believes knowledge has helped her find happiness throughout her life. Hong talked about her hard upbringing in Singapore and how she overcame obstacles to her education.
“I could be poor, hungry, tired, yelled at or abused, but I honestly felt like I had the whole world in my hand because I was in charge of my own mind. No one could take that away from me. The sense of self-empowerment surpasses everything money could buy,” said Hong.
Hong shared how she began to value her education, commenting, “When you think of an Asian from Singapore, the movie ‘Crazy Rich Asian’ naturally comes to mind. Well, that’s not my life at all.”
“I was born practically into a sweatshop home because my family had to snip threads off of clothing and sew pillowcases to make our living,” said Hong. She said she worked hard and focused on surviving but had little time to focus on education.
Hong said she enjoyed attending church with her aunt when she was 10 years old. “I was instantaneously drawn to these members. I enjoyed hanging out with them compared to going home to my drunken father. One day in church, I learned something that would change my life forever.”
Hong said when she learned knowledge is the only thing people take with them after death, it was a life-changing moment. This teaching altered the course of her life, causing a change of heart, she explained.
“I yearned to learn everything I could possibly learn to expand my mind and take that with me for eternity.”
I yearned to learn everything I could possibly learn to expand my mind and take that with me for eternity.
Jillian Ruby, a junior from Colorado majoring in special education and psychology, said, “[Dr. Hong] has a love for learning that I have never seen before. She studies things that are not even in her field of study or her profession ... She did not always have an upbringing of being able to learn and grow, but she was given the opportunity to later in life and held onto it.”
Hong shared failing the tenth grade fueled her determination. “[I] allowed myself only 365 days to turn my life around. I studied so hard that my parents were mad at me for wasting electricity.
“Since we lived in government housing, I decided to sit on the steps of the stairways each night to study using the public lights, often surrounded by rats and feces.
“I was so happy when I finally passed and was able to move on to the next phase of my education. To me, my knowledge was my happiness. Not because I finally obtained my Ph.D., but because I finally took charge of my own life.”
Megan DeJong, a junior from Colorado majoring in psychology, said, “She has so much passion, and it is contagious... I know that there are many kids who had never heard about special education, but she got everyone engaged in the class. I don’t think anyone had anything negative to say about her because she cared so much about what she taught.”
Ruby commented, “She inspires me because she is always willing to help others. I have never met anyone who stands up for the little guy as much as Dr. Hong. She makes sure that those in her community and around the world who cannot speak for themselves are spoken up for.”
DeJong said after sharing her plans to become a special education teacher with Hong, “She told me, ‘That is noble, but you can do so much more than that. You should definitely get your master’s degree.’ No one had ever really challenged me the way Dr. Hong did. After I heard that, I decided I wanted to do that.”
Hong emphasized the importance of learning for the right reasons. “If I had simply studied for the sake of grades or fear of failing, I would have denied myself one of the greatest gifts of happiness. Of course, we obtain an education for job security, but that should not be the goal. Learning itself is the goal.
“I don’t know everything, and I’ll never know everything, but as long as I’m willing to learn and allow my mind to expand, I know I will be happy.”