Help a student living in poverty venture out to sea
Apr 15.2015 | Helping Students AchieveLin is a student living in Chiayi’s rural area, Zhuqi. When he was in senior high school, his parents were in the plumbing business and someone did a runner on them and got his parent deep in debt. His father had to shun debt collectors and could not hold down a proper job. The mother went into part-time nursing and earned very little. They also borrowed money to cover the tuition fees and daily expenses for Lin’s siblings that were in university at the time. Lin mostly relied on scholarships to pay for his tuition fees but with certain arrears. So his school contacted the Foundation on his behalf for further assistance.
After grasping Lin’s family circumstances, the Foundation has been paying Lin’s school fees and daily expenses so that he could focus on his studies. Lin’s academic performance could have got him into National Taiwan University through the admission route of recommendation and screening, but he set his mind on improving the family income as soon as possible. When the Foundation’s inspector told him that getting a career on the sea would be the shortest route, his eyes lit up and asked all about it. The inspector got a retired ship captain to talk to him about planning a career on the sea. After reading the Chairman’s autobiography, he vowed to venture out to the sea. Instead of National Taiwan University, he then went on to study in the Department of Merchant Marine at the National Taiwan Ocean University (TOC). During his time in TOC, the Foundation continued to support him and cover his tuition fees and daily expenses. Lin was a diligent student and passed the special national navigation examination in his fourth year in university. Also because of his excellent grades, he was able to complete his studies early and got his graduation certificate one semester before everyone else and started his compulsory military training earlier than his peers.
After the military training, he got hired by Evergreen Marine as an intern officer in February this year. Before he started his internship, he finally met his idol and long-term supporter, Chairman Chang, who gave him friendly words of encouragement and reminded him of a few things to look out for during his internship on the ship. Lin is currently on his voyage training on the European sea routes living his dreams. In his telegram to the inspector, he mentioned, “Besides learning all about the profession from the captain and his peers, (I) also adhere to Chairman’s teaching: Read to expand knowledge while on the ship.” He also added, “the Chairman’s loving heart and world-renowned prestige is all the more palpable in (foreign) countries that we stay in. I shall continue to work hard, build my strength and pull my weight as a gesture to thank the Chairman’s help all along the way.” "