Alumna Chu Hua-tung Remembers Her Mentors: A Homecoming Journey to Express Gratitude and Spread the Positive Energy of "Love"

After the pandemic, 2023 was a year of joyful reunions and gratitude. Alumna Chu Hua-tung, from the very first graduating class of the Department of English, embarked on a homecoming journey to Taiwan to express her thanks. In addition to reuniting with close friends, she returned to her alma mater for the first time in many years. Stepping onto the campus immediately triggered fond memories of her youth and stage performances during her student days. Besides enjoying the famous campus ice cream, she was amazed by the transformation of the campus and the success of the Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital.

▲(Left) Director Chu Chia-chi and Alumna Chu Hua-tung; (Right) A group photo featuring the Dean of the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures alongside the two alumnae.

Professor Liu Chi-wen, Professor of English and Dean of the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, along with Creative Director Lee Min-kai, received Alumnae Chu Hua-tung and Chien An-su at the Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Innovation and Discovery Center on the fifth floor of the Foreign Languages Building. During the meeting, three English department students—Chang Chiao-jung, Liu Shu-tao, and Chen Yue-ting—shared their learning experiences and future plans with Alumna Chu. Dean Liu also explained to the alumnae how the College encourages students to pursue interdisciplinary and intercultural development to cultivate secondary expertise.

At the forum, Alumna Chu shared her own interdisciplinary journey. She noted that she was a very introverted student during her school days and expressed gratitude to her mentors in the English department for helping her build a solid foundation in the language. She fondly recalled receiving the Academic Achievement Award every year and mentioned that Cardinal Yu Pin, the first President of FJCU, personally wrote her a recommendation letter. This support enabled her to pursue graduate studies in the United States with a scholarship. Before completing her graduate degree, she successfully passed the CPA exam and subsequently built a career and life in the U.S., where she met the love of her life and settled in Hawaii. Although her husband passed away in May 2022, she wishes to uphold his lifelong belief in loving life and helping others. By supporting her junior fellows and giving back to her alma mater, she continues to honor his legacy while traveling the world on his behalf.

Alumna Chu’s visit to Fu Jen was not only a journey of gratitude but also a mission to fulfill her late husband's final wish: to donate scholarships to support students and spread the positive energy of "Love." Consequently, when Dean Liu proposed the "Lucia and Gregory Leong Foundation for English Talents"—a project aimed at subsidizing gifted yet economically disadvantaged (including low-income) students to allow them to focus on their studies, go on overseas exchanges, or pursue a Master’s degree within the department—Alumna Chu readily agreed. She committed to providing $10,000 USD annually to support scholarships for three English department students. Upon her return to the U.S., she immediately donated a total of $20,000 USD for the 2023 and 2024 scholarships. Furthermore, to honor her mentors, she made a special $2,000 USD donation to the "Seat Naming Project at Chung Mei Auditorium" under the "FJCU Centennial Elite Talent Retention Program," expressing her deepest thanks for the care and guidance provided by Cardinal Yu Pin and her professors.

As the saying goes, "The meaning of life lies in the creation of the successive life of the universe." Alumna Chu has brought an abundance of gratitude and love to the faculty and students of the English Department. We believe that everyone will feel this positive force for loving life and continue to pass it on, contributing to society and benefiting those around them.