Inevitable Introduction

One of the first assignments for this fellowship was to write an introduction that would inform the social entrepreneurs, industry mentors, and faculty mentors who we are and why we are doing this. I struggled. How do I want to introduce myself to complete strangers? What part of myself is it important to tell people? After much deep contemplation, this is what I wrote: 

My Favourite Place 

It's inevitable. As a college student, introductions always head in this direction: “What do you want to do after you graduate?” I usually say, “I want to be a teacher and live by the beach!” It generates some interesting conversation, especially after people learn that I’m studying Electrical Engineering and Music. Although I do love teaching and hope to wake up to ocean waves, deep inside, I want to make people smile and make a difference in their lives. But that answer sounds boring and almost cliché, and doesn't make a very good first impression. It sounds like I don't know what I want to do. I hate to admit it, but I'm still searching for my calling. But let me introduce myself.

I love music. There’s something about the way frequencies and timing work together to create melody and harmony that can convey emotion that rises above the daily grind and worries so heavy in our hearts. Music promises something beyond the here and now, beyond what we see and hear. But I digress. Music has given me many collaborative opportunities and beautiful friendships, and I made the fastest friends at a high school summer chamber music camp. Nick, Andrea, and I were complete strangers on Monday 9am, but working on a Brahm’s trio for 8 hrs/day for 5 days catalyzed an amazing bond between us. By Friday afternoon, we could communicate with a smile or nod, when only a few days ago we didn’t even know each other’s names. We each played a different instrument and had completely different parts, yet each was integral to the music, and together we performed something much more beautiful than what we could accomplish on our own. I discovered the beauty and infinite possibilities that exist when souls come together and work toward a common goal. Since then, I’ve had the blessing of playing in multiple duets, trios, and quartets, and even solo with the Santa Clara’s orchestra.

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 

All this would not have possible without thousands of hours in front of 88 black and white keys (you thought I would say my parents, right? Patience, my dear reader. I’ll get there). Unbelievably, I’ve been playing piano longer than I’ve been in school. I’ve worked for hours musical phrases that last less than 10 seconds, thinking that I should probably study for my physics midterm, but perfect practice makes perfect. Music has taught me the importance of perseverance, diligence, and hard work. Growing up with music has helped me pay attention to detail, express my emotions, and expand my imagination. 

​Of course, my family taught me, too. There’s no way Taiwanese parents working in the Silicon Valley didn’t teach their children anything. I have been blessed with very loving parents, who poured their time and energy into raising me and my younger brother, Beau. Their words and actions demonstrate the love and truth they wanted to instill in me and have taught me how to live. One of the most important lessons I learned was to share, an essential for having siblings. Whenever I received something, instead of enjoying it all by myself, I was always reminded to pause and see if the people around me (particularly Beau) could benefit from what I had. I was taught to share everything: toys, food, clothes, even pearl milk tea when we traveled to Taiwan. And it hasn't stopped. 

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Sharing, and more sharing 

But as I grew up, I realized that sharing was only part of the equation. When my uncle (mom’s brother) and my grandma (dad’s mom) came to live in our three-bedroom house, well, the math tells you that our family slept in one room. Sharing was no longer about what I have and what others might want, but what others need and what I have to offer. It didn’t seem fair that four people had to sleep in one room while two others got their own room, but life isn’t fair, and it isn’t about me (surprise!). Love makes sacrifices, and that’s what Jesus did for me on the cross.

Beloved

If He hasn't made his way into the introduction, you don't really know me at all. Jesus means the world to me, and you can’t know me in the absence of my Savior. Because of him, I can feel at home in a foreign place. While studying abroad in Australia in 2017, I visited a church on a weekend when I was feeling particularly lonely.  I had never been to the church, but the sign hanging above the sanctuary entrance read “Welcome Home.” A thought ran through my mind: How can I be home in a place that I’ve never been to?  But worshiping alongside strangers in a new place showed me that home is where God’s presence is, no matter where we are and who we’re with. I found a community that became my Family away from family and had the best four months of my life because I was never alone.

​As a result, I want to live my life as a response to the love he showed me by loving those around us who are in need, and it’s one of the reasons I came to Santa Clara University. While college is part of the journey of discovering oneself, SCU was the one school that framed higher education not only as a means to higher salaries and more respected careers, but a tool to help those who do not have a voice. Buechner’s quotation on Preview Day resonated with me: “God’s calling is where your greatest passion meets the world’s greatest needs.” While I have found a few of my great passions, I am still looking for ways that they intersect the world’s great needs. I’ve learned that the world’s greatest needs are not in Silicon Valley, where running water, free Internet, and paved roads are ubiquitous.

 

So in a way, the Global Social Benefit Fellowship is Santa Clara fulfilling its promise to me. While there is no guarantee that I’ll find my calling in the next nine months (in fact, I probably won’t), this fellowship gives me the opportunity to work with others toward a common goal and to see and understand others’ needs and bring what little I can offer. I hope that participating in GSBF will help me see one of the world’s great need, and perhaps give me a glimpse of God’s calling for me.