February 2024
Message from our Founder Ching Tien
Dear friends and supporters,
As we are entering the Lunar Year of the Dragon – a powerful and auspicious year – I am sending you my best wishes. I hope the year ahead brings you inspiration, strength and the power to achieve your goals.
Not long ago, instead of announcing my retirement, I surprised many of you by establishing the Ching Tien Foundation for Women. Although only early days yet, I have already received positive responses from many of you, and our first two scholarship recipients are achieving success in many aspects of their new lives abroad.
In this newsletter, I will update you on the progress of our two Master’s scholarship recipients – Huiming Ma and Jessie Huang. And I am going to introduce a group of volunteers who have been consistently providing their valuable time and expertise to benefit the Foundation and the young women in its programs.
I hope I can count on your continued support by considering making a donation. Only together can we lift the Foundation off the ground and provide these promising young women the opportunity to grow into the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow.
Acknowledging Our Volunteers
Christine Woolley is an award-winning multi-disciplinary designer based in Vancouver, B.C. She is a senior inclusive design advisor on the social impact team at HCMA architecture + design and is an experienced art director, graphic designer and web designer.
When Christine worked at Kirk & Co she designed EGRC’s website on a pro-bono basis in 2018. She continued maintaining the website for five more years. Currently Christine has been involved in the new Foundation’s visual branding, designed and built the new website and other marketing materials. Christine’s expertise has brought huge value to the new Foundation.
“Ching has famously said 'Educated women have educated children' and this phrase has continually inspired me through its truth. The power of education can truly uplift individuals and their communities, and break cycles of inequality and oppression. Through supporting Ching Tien's work, I hope to contribute to the realization of that right for many young women.”
Dr. Joan Shaw was a music teacher and teacher-librarian for 35 years. From 2021 she has been working with Huiming Ma on a weekly basis with her English and later on her academic studies. From October 2023, Joan took on Jessie Huang as her second student. Since the academic studies are fundamentally different between China and the Western academic institutions, both Huiming and Jessie have benefited greatly from the weekly coaching and teaching Joan provided.
“As one might expect, they are two lovely and admirable young women. It is a privilege to work with them. Ching is a good friend and I have been a keen supporter of her work.”
James Jenkin is based in Melbourne, Australia. He has worked in the field of TESOL for over twenty-five years as a teacher, teacher trainer, curriculum designer and academic manager. Since 2020, James has been consistently teaching and supervising the English classes provided to the young women at EGRC, now the Ching Tien Foundation.
“I'm proud to be involved with EGRC, now the Ching Tien Foundation for Women. Everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential. The experience of facilitating English studies for these young women and seeing their progresses is a fulfilling experience.”
Huiming Ma has been an active volunteer with EGRC for over 10 years. She is the first student to receive the Ching Tien Scholarship in 2022 and started her Master of Education at UBC in January 2023. In Canada, she has actively engaged in community and volunteer work outside of her studies. In the meantime, Huiming is involved in communicating with former EGRC alumni in China and is an advocate for the Ching Tien Foundation and assisted Ching’s work.
“I am very happy for Ching as she embarks on her new journey. I want to see more young women like me achieve their dreams.”
Natasha Lock studied and worked in different countries in Asia including China. She was a scholar at Yenching Academy in Peking University from 2018 to 2020. From 2020 to the summer of 2023, Natasha has taught weekly English language online classes to former EGRC students. Now as a PhD student at the King’s College London, she is mentoring Jessie Huang, our second scholarship recipient.
“I am supporting EGRC, now the Ching Tien Foundation because education empowers, upholds and energizes the world. And educating women ensures the next generations will be educated. I am so proud to see these young women grow and flourish along the way.”
News and Success of the Master’s Program Scholarship Recipients
Huiming Ma
Our Master’s Scholarship Program was established in 2022. Originally, it aimed to award outstanding EGRC alumni. Huiming Ma is the first recipient and came to Canada to study for the Master of Education at UBC in January 2023.
One year has passed. Huiming has done outstanding work in her academic studies, community engagements, volunteering and embracing the local culture.
- Academic achievement: 6 A+, 1 A- and 1 pass
- Community engagement: Organizing and participating events at the university international students club
- Volunteering activities: Over 200 volunteer hours by teaching children after school, serving homeless people, and assisting the Ching Tien Foundation
- Part-time work: Life coach for undergraduate students and Research Assistant to her university advisor
- Learning new skills: Mountain climbing, swimming and skiing
“I have fully embraced Canadian culture and values. I appreciate the diversity, inclusivity, and the respect for individual choices. Here, I feel I am encouraged to express my ideas and opinions and learn to be my authentic self.”
Jessie Huang
Jessie Huang is the 2023 Master’s scholarship recipient. In September of 2023 she started her one year masters’ program of Education Leadership and Administration at University of Nottingham in the UK.
Now, five months through her study and the new life in the UK, Jessie has much to say about her inspiring learning experience.
“As a Ching Tien Scholarship recipient, I not only have the support of Dr. Shaw, but Ching checks in and chats with me often. I also exchange ideas with Huiming, another scholarship recipient.
...I am enjoying making friends from other countries. The experience here is not only about getting my degree, it is also about exploring different ways of living, giving and thinking. I am so grateful for this opportunity.”