The Sage in the Cathedral of Books. Yang Sun Yang

      After graduation, Hwa-Wei’s (second row, sixth from left) first job was dean of students at the Affiliated Experimental Elementary School of the Provincial Taipei Teachers College.

      Upon completion of his reserve officer training, Hwa-Wei soon started his first job as the dean of students at the Affiliated Experimental Elementary School of the Provincial Taipei Teachers College. Hwa-Wei actually got the job by chance.

      Normally a newly graduated NTNU student was required to start with a one-year internship before becoming a high school teacher. The principal of the elementary school was Ta-Shih Tan. Principal Tan came to the chair of the Department of Education at NTNU, seeking his help in recruiting a college graduate from the department to fill the position of dean of students. Despite his disappointment with Hwa-Wei’s academic performance, the chair was impressed by this student’s ability in organizing extracurricular activities, and thus recommended Hwa-Wei to Tan as the best candidate for the position. Tan liked this modest, gentle, and quiet young man at first sight. The job offer thus came at once.

      One year later, President Chen Liu recalled Hwa-Wei back to NTNU, initially as a teaching assistant. But he was soon assigned to work at the Extracurricular Activity Unit of the Student Guidance and Counseling Services overseeing student organizations. This was again a windfall to Hwa-Wei due to his strength in extracurricular activities.

      Working with student organizations was a perfect fit for Hwa-Wei. He was enjoying the happiness of being an organizer and a team player, putting his accumulated experience and ideas to use. Hwa-Wei honored President Liu’s five equally important principles in educating students: moral development, intellectual growth, physical education, social activity, and aesthetic appreciation. He followed those five principles during his four years at NTNU, a practice that turned out to be beneficial throughout his life.

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      Soon after he was admitted to the NTNU graduate school, his U.S. visa application went through. That was truly his lucky year. Two good friends of his, who were used to having better college grades than him, were surpassed by Hwa-Wei, ranking sixth and seventh, respectively, in the entrance written exam for graduate school. The two friends, although aggrieved, felt somehow thankful, as they were outscored by their friend and not by a stranger. They were disappointed, however, when Hwa-Wei took the quota and then gave it up to study abroad. His two poor friends had to wait another year to fulfill their graduate school dream. Constantly berated by his two best friends, Hwa-Wei had no other choice but to treat them with meals by way of apology.

      Originally, Hwa-Wei’s desire to study abroad was not that strong, as he had already been admitted to the graduate school of NTNU, making him feel closer to his dream profession of being a high school principal. And he was not very interested in going to the United States, a foreign country on the other side of the world, far away from his home. Rather, it was his parents and aunt who kept pushing him to pursue an advanced degree in an American university. The other reason for his initial reluctance to leave Taiwan for the United States had to do with his family’s financial status. Hwa-Wei needed to raise enough money for his plane ticket and the required affidavit of financial support, things his father was unable to afford. He knew that the road ahead to study abroad would not be an easy one. Hwa-Wei actually hoped that his visa application would not be granted so that he could have a legitimate reason to stay in Taiwan.

      During that time, a large percentage of Taiwanese students who came to the States were from science and engineering backgrounds. Those students were more likely to be funded by American universities and thus had a higher success rate for a visa application. In contrast, very few humanities and social sciences students ended up on this path, as they seldom were able to receive fellowships, and their families, in most cases, could not afford the high costs of studying abroad.

      Hwa-Wei, with help from his aunt, Phyllis Hsiao-Chu Wang, luckily was offered a tuition waiver from the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. This eased his visa application. After asking a few simple questions in English, the immigration officer, blinking his blue eyes, said to Hwa-Wei in an exaggeratedly slow speed, “You are welcome to America.”

      It was just Hwa-Wei’s luck that a better and brighter future had come to him. But to achieve that better and brighter future, he would have to work harder and face tougher challenges.

      It was time for Hwa-Wei to say goodbye to the dean of the graduate school saying, “Sorry, sir—I did not expect that I could pass the English test for foreign studies. This is quite an opportunity for me. Please allow me to withdraw from the school.”

      Hwa-Wei promised the dean that he would study hard in the United States and come back to serve the university with a finished doctorate. The dean was very pleased, thinking that Hwa-Wei would soon be the first international student in the U.S. from his class. He simply wished him the best.

      Hwa-Wei’s professors and friends at NTNU were all happy for him. But for Hwa-Wei, going to the U.S. for graduate school created not just financial stress but also psychological pressure. He could feel the sincere expectations and hopes of his professors and friends at NTNU. How would he ever “have face” to return to Taiwan if his studying-abroad endeavor failed? With this concern in mind, Hwa-Wei made up his mind to strive forward!

      Subsidized by the government, Hwa-Wei had received four years of free college education at NTNU. But the government subsidy was conditional and required a beneficiary student to serve in the education field for at least five years after college graduation—before receiving his diploma.

      Hwa-Wei felt guilty about his lack of service length, knowing that he had worked for only two years. Eventually, NTNU made an exception in his case and mailed his diploma to him. Attached with the diploma was a note stating that the original requirement for educational service in Taiwan had been waived because of his continued service record in the American higher education system and the graduate degree in education that he had received from the University of Pittsburgh.

      Hwa-Wei’s service in the field of education has far exceeded his original commitment to NTNU. However, Hwa-Wei feels grateful for his college’s magnanimity and flexibility in ultimately awarding him a bachelor’s degree in education. He is also thankful to NTNU for his four years of rewarding experience, the impact of which on his life has proven more immeasurable than the diploma itself.