Speaking from experience, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday encouraged recipients of the second annual President's Educational Awards to pursue their dreams despite personal hardship.
"Don't be defeated by failure," Chen told an informal gathering of the award winners at the Tittot Glass Art Museum, where he joined them in creative glass art activities. "Go after your dreams with all your heart and success will be yours one day."
The 59 award winners, categorized into three age groups of elementary, middle and high schools, will receive their awards in a ceremony tomorrow.
The award was introduced last year to encourage and recognize courageous children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Citing his poor childhood, his not getting a perfect score on every test and his unsuccessful bid to be re-elected as Taipei mayor, Chen shared his personal accounts with the award recipients and encouraged them to persevere.
Life is full of ups and downs and every setback is a valuable learning experience, Chen told his audience. "As long as you don't give up, tomorrow is always full of hopes," Chen said.
This year's award recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 300 recommendations nationwide. Each of these 59 award winners shares an eventful life and nearly one third of them were either physically handicapped or mentally challenged.
For instance, middle-school student Huang Yu-chi (黃郁錡) will be honored for academic excellence and a positive attitude, despite anemia which will require her to undergo regular blood transfusions for the rest of her life.
Aside from attending to her studies, Deng Shiao-chuan (鄧小娟), a high-school student, also has to share with her elder brother the financial burden of looking after her family, including three younger siblings, an elderly father and a mother, who is bedridden following a stroke.
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