After getting rejected three times to study at BYUH, Malaysian senior Terrell Wu graduates with honors
Being the only member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his family, April 2023 graduate Terrell Wu said not long after he joined the church in Malaysia at the age of 13, coming to BYU-Hawaii had always been his dream. He said as he associated with the church members in his home country, he received encouragement to apply and come to the university. Knowing the promising future an education at BYUH could offer, he sent in an application in 2017 right after his full-time missionary service for the church.
“It took me two years to come to BYUH,“ he said. “The first time I was rejected because my grades weren’t high enough.… The second time I got accepted into the IWORK scholarship program, but I wasn’t accepted to the school. The third time I applied, the school never gave me a [specific] reason,” he said, for being rejected again. Waiting and reapplying over the two years was excruciating because Wu said he felt like God wasn’t answering his prayer.
Wu said his understanding behind the discouragement of being rejected finally came to light when during that two-year process, many of his relatives passed away or became seriously ill. He shared he lost his uncle and that was followed by the passing of his grandmother on his birthday. Additionally, that same year, Wu’s mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer and his aunt had kidney failure.
“It was a humbling experience to know that the Lord wanted me to stay for two years just to support my family.” He said he came to understand it was God’s divine plan for him to stay longer because he was the only family member who could help and serve them with all the funerals and medical treatments. “It felt like as if God was saying I was destined to be the example to them because my family was very chaotic during those years.”
However, after two years and all that happened with his family, Wu said he got accepted to BYUH the fourth time he applied.
Brighter hope for the future
Studying communications, culture, and media as his major, Wu said, was a big turnaround in his education. While at first he was denied acceptance into BYUH because his grades weren’t good enough, by the end of his undergraduate studies, Wu said he graduated summa cum laude, which means he had among the highest GPA and graduated with the highest academic distinction.
Wu shared, “When I was in high school, my grades weren’t good. They were just good enough to pass, so by that credential, I was not the best student.” He continued, “But I am always hard on myself with English because I always said to myself, ‘Okay, if there’s nothing else that you are good at, you have to be good at English.’”
As he reflected back on his first failures applying to BYUH, he said he had all the reasons to give up. While he passed his English proficiency test, he said he couldn’t change his high school cumulative GPA, which did not meet the university’s entrance standard. With confidence he shared, “But I didn’t stop because the answer was very clear from Heavenly Father. I felt strongly I needed to be at BYUH. So, that’s why I was doing whatever it took to get here.”
He said he decided to take online classes to improve his GPA and meet the standard. He said if he had decided to stop trying at the first rejection, he would have been very lost in life and not as happy as right now. “If I given up, all the opportunities such as acting, choir, taking a communication major, and meeting wonderful friends, professors, and leaders would have not happened.”
Carrying out his educational experience with excellence
Wu’s effort in improving himself and his skills didn’t stop after he got accepted, he said, adding he continually remembered where he came from and valued his educational journey before and throughout his university experience. He said during his four years of learning at BYUH, he tried his best to perform all aspects of his educational journey with excellence. With this commitment, he said he always prioritized finishing what matters most. “To be specific about it, I always finish the assignment of the week on Wednesday. I only had minor polishing on Thursday and Friday so I can have a break for myself throughout the weekend.”
In order for him to balance his education and social connections with people, he said, “Another thing that I always made sure to do during all my semesters is having at least one fun class. So, every semester either I’ll have a music class or an acting class, or both, to keep my sanity, and have more dopamine throughout the semester.” Wu said he actively participated in campus events, choirs and club activities.
Discovering new talents
Throughout his journey, he said he was able to unlock some new talents through his theater minor. Ever since he got to BYUH, he said he started to explore the world of singing and theater. “I’ve never acted on stage in my life, but the directors trusted me enough that I could do it.” He said the trust planted in him by his professors and some of the theater directors helped him to gradually build his confidence.
He said, “The new talents that I have learned here has helped me to serve others even more. One of the biggest skills I learned here was to empathize with people more and care for them when needed.” He said he hopes to be able to use theatre and music as a form of communication in the future and interweave his passion with the degree he received in communications.
Lehonti Ovalle, BYUH alumni who majored in economics from Guatemala, said he was Wu’s roommate he was in college. Ovalle said Wu is a very inclusive person because he is willing to listen to anyone without any judgment. “He is a dreamer,” Ovalle continued. “He doesn’t care about fame or wealth. He is more interested in doing something that can make him feel happy and just follow his dreams and motivations.”
Daryl Snelson, a sophomore studying exercise and sport science from Malaysia, said, “I was a ward clerk back in the times when we were in Malaysia, and I’ve seen how he is driven and motivated by eternal perspectives in everything he does.” Snelson said, “He came all the way from Malaysia, and he represented Malaysia well.”