12/17/14

Houston Prominent Young Scholars to Taiwan Award Made Dreams Come True

HOUSTON-DECEMBER 12, 2014

Photo: Sponsors presenting scholarship and air ticket to Sharpstown International High School

To help disadvantaged students with more educational opportunities, Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston initiated a scholarship fundraising project by inviting several successful Taiwanese entrepreneurs living in Houston to sponsor study expenses in Taiwan and round-trip air tickets for outstanding students from low income families at Houston Independent School District’s Sharpstown International High School.

The initiative has made its way to reality. A scholarship award luncheon was organized and held at noon, on Friday, December 12, 2014 to recognize these philanthropists and, at the same time, to provide an opportunity for the award recipients to express their gratitude to the scholarship sponsors.
The former commissioner of Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council, Mr. William Yeh; current and former chairman of Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Mr. John Chen and Mr. Kenneth Li; founders and owners of Stone Mountain Properties, James and Leeshan Birney; Fidelity National Title Agency Inc. attorney, Ms. Dawn Lin; China Airlines Marketing Manager in Houston, Ms. Mei Fong; these successful men and women presented their sponsorship and support for the education.

Education Board Trustee Greg Meyers, Assistant Superintendent Rick Cruz on behalf of the Houston Independent School District, Principal Ms. Thuy Le-Thai, Assistant Principal Ping Yu Adams, and Chinese teacher, Junrui Garcia from Sharpstown International High School were also presented to express their gratitude and appreciation for the donation. Two outstanding students, Loi Quoc Lao and Gabriel Omar Castillo, selected from 300 applicants, expressed their thanks in English and Chinese, the language they have learnt for only one year during the luncheon.

The award presentation speaks for the collaborative efforts between the educators and entrepreneurs, and most importantly, witnessed these two prominent young scholars’ first step of their journeys to success.
Photo: Director-General Louis M. Huang presenting the Flag of Republic of China (Taiwan) to Sharpstown International High School’s Principal Thuy M. Le-Thai as a gift